Long Island pastor, Grammy-winning gospel singer accused of sexual abuse
According to a lawsuit filed this week, Copiague native Donnie McClurkin met the accuser at the Perfect Faith Church in Freeport in 2003.
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A Long Island pastor and Grammy Award-winning gospel singer is accused of sexual abuse in a lawsuit filed by an accuser, court records show.
According to a lawsuit filed on Jan. 2 in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, Copiague native Donnie McClurkin met Giuseppe Corletto at the Perfect Faith Church in Freeport in 2003. McClurkin is still listed there as a senior pastor.
Corletto claims McClurkin sexually assaulted him repeatedly from 2007 to 2015. The instances took place multiple times at an unnamed Long Island hotel, a Rockville Centre park and McClurkin’s Rockville Centre home, according to the lawsuit.
In an interview with NBC News, Corletto said he thought McClurkin was "mentoring" him, but now believes he was being groomed.
The lawsuit also includes an email from McClurkin to Corletto apologizing for his alleged advances.
Corletto is seeking an unspecified amount of monetary damages from McClurkin in the lawsuit.
Perfect Faith Church could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday.
