The founder of one of America's largest megachurches, Robert Morris, has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in Oklahoma in the 1980s. The 64-year-old entered his plea on Thursday in Osage County district court on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child.
Morris was sentenced to 10 years in custody but, as part of a plea deal, will serve only six months in county jail. He must also register as a sex offender and pay $250,000 in restitution to his victim, Cindy Clemishire.
Clemishire, now 55, was present in court and read a statement telling Morris: 'There is no such thing as consent from a 12-year-old child. We were never in an ‘inappropriate relationship’. I was not a ‘young lady’ but a child. You committed a crime against me.' Her sister Karen Black added: 'You pretended to be holy, preaching from big pulpits. As you hid behind your facade, we’ve known you are nothing but a predator.'
Morris founded Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, which grew into a megachurch with more than 25,000 weekly visitors. He also served as a spiritual adviser to former US president Donald Trump, joining the White House spiritual advisory committee and helping mobilise evangelical voters. Trump visited Gateway Church in 2020, praising Morris as having 'a great reputation'.
The abuse began in 1982 when Morris, then a 21-year-old travelling evangelist, stayed with Clemishire's family. A leaked phone transcript from 2005 revealed he tried to bribe her into silence, telling her to 'put a price on it'. Morris resigned from Gateway Church last year after Clemishire went public with her allegations.
