Grammy-winning gospel singer and pastor accused of sexually abusing a young man

Donnie McClurkin, a Grammy-winning gospel singer and pastor, sexually abused a young man over several years, according to a lawsuit filed Friday.

Donnie McClurkin, a Grammy-winning gospel singer and pastor, sexually abused a young man over several years and wrote an apology email declaring himself a “dirty 'old man,'” according to a new lawsuit.

Giuseppe Corletto says in the lawsuit that he was struggling to reconcile his sexuality with his faith when he sought out McClurkin in 2003. The lawsuit says Corletto, then 21, went to McClurkin’s church in Long Island, New York, after reading his autobiographical book, which described how God helped him overcome the “curse” of homosexuality.

At the church event, McClurkin “talked about being raped as a child, which resonated with me because that’s similar to my story,” Corletto said in an interview with NBC News.

He said he was brought to meet with McClurkin after the event, and the man took an immediate interest in him.

“At first it was all very innocent and what I thought [was] mentoring,” Corletto said in the interview.