New Delhi, Jan. 6 -- Donnie McClurkin, a Grammy-winning gospel singer and pastor who helped "pray the gay away," has been accused of sexually abusing a young man over several years.

In the lawsuit, Giuseppe Corletto, who was 21 when he first met Donnie in 2003, said that Donnie even wrote an apology email to him, declaring himself a "dirty 'old man'," NBC News reported.

Giuseppe was struggling to reconcile his sexuality with his faith when he went to Donnie's church in Long Island, New York, the lawsuit said. He sought out Donnie after reading his autobiographical book in which he described how God helped him overcome the "curse" of homosexuality.

In an interview with NBC News, Giuseppe said that at the church event, Donnie "talked abo...