Robert Morris, the founder of Gateway Church in Texas, has been released from an Oklahoma jail after serving six months for sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s. The 64-year-old former pastor pleaded guilty in October to five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child.
Under a plea agreement, Morris received a 10-year suspended sentence, with only six months served in Osage County jail. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender and pay $270,000 in restitution. He was released early on Tuesday and will remain under supervision for nine and a half years of probation.
Morris founded Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, which grew into one of the largest megachurches in the US. He also served as a spiritual adviser to former President Donald Trump during his first term and attended a roundtable at Gateway Church in June 2020.
The victim, Cindy Clemishire, publicly identified herself in 2024, stating the abuse began in 1982 when she was 12 and Morris was 21. She was present at his plea hearing and said: 'There is no such thing as consent from a 12-year-old child.' Morris resigned as senior pastor in 2024 after Clemishire came forward and was indicted in March 2025.
