Megachurch Pastor and Ex-Trump Adviser Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse of a Minor
The head of one of the largest megachurches in the US, Robert Morris, has admitted guilt to sexually abusing a young girl in the state of Oklahoma during the 1980s.
Morris, 64, pleaded guilty on that day in Osage county district court on multiple charges of lewd or indecent acts with a minor. He was sentenced to a decade in custody, but as part of a plea deal will serve only half a year in local jail.
He will be listed as a registered offender and pay $250,000 in restitution.
Background of the Legal Matter
The former minister founded Gateway church in the city of Southlake, the state of Texas. He grew it into among the ten biggest large churches in the United States, with over twenty-five thousand visitors each week.
The victim, fifty-five, the woman who came forward as the survivor of the abuse, was there in court as he pleaded guilty. In a written declaration she told him: “There is no such thing as agreement from a child of twelve. We were not involved in any improper relationship. I was not a ‘young lady’ but a minor. You committed a crime against me.”
Her sibling Karen Black also made a declaration, stating: “You pretended to be holy, preaching from large platforms. As you hid behind your facade, we’ve known you are nothing but a predator.”
Morris resigned from the congregation last year after Clemishire made her story known. She had spent years seeking justice for the abuse.
Details of the Incidents
The molestation began in the year 1982 when Morris, at age twenty-one, was a itinerant preacher. He stayed with Clemishire’s family in their residence, where he asked the girl into his room.
The abuse persisted for the following four years.
A revealed recording of a phone call showed that in 2005, Morris attempted to pay off Clemishire into not speaking out, saying to her to “put a price on it”.
Downfall and Associations
Morris’s conviction signals a dramatic downfall for the pastor. At his peak, he authored multiple popular books and his sermons were transmitted globally.
He also served as a religious counselor to Donald Trump. He joined the presidential advisory group during the first Trump presidency and was part of a campaign to mobilize religious voters for him in the recent election.
The former president also attended the church in 2020 where he commended Morris and his leadership as “wonderful individuals with a great reputation”.
