Jan. 6, 2026Updated Jan. 7, 2026, 2:27 p.m. ET
Grammy-winning gospel singer Donnie McClurkin has been sued by a man who claims the Perfecting Faith Church founder and senior pastor assaulted him for years.
Giuseppe Corletto alleges McClurkin – best known for the songs "Stand" and "We Fall Down" – was initially a mentor figure to him, but eventually started assaulting him in a yearslong pattern, according to a lawsuit filed Jan. 2 in New York County Supreme Court reviewed by USA TODAY on Jan. 5.
Corletto was 21 years old when he first met McClurkin at his Long Island church in August 2003, according to the lawsuit. During their meeting, Corletto says the pastor "assured him that [McClurkin] would help deliver him from homosexuality."
Later, as McClurkin's personal assistant, Corletto and the pastor held "pray the gay away" spiritual sessions in which McClurkin allegedly groped Corletto's genitals without consent, according to the suit.
Corletto claims McClurkin coerced him into "further unwanted sexual acts" from 2007 to as recently as 2015. Despite Corletto confiding in the church's staff members about the alleged abuse, "no action was taken," the lawsuit states.
According to Corletto, McClurkin would "coerce" him "into sexual activity" in hotel rooms, and years after Corletto resigned from the church in 2008, McClurkin allegedly tracked down his location and assaulted him twice.
Corletto...
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