OKLAHOMA CITY — Robert Morris, the Texas megachurch founder who once served as a spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump, has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s, marking a dramatic fall from grace for the evangelical leader.
The plea deal, entered Thursday in Osage County District Court, spares him a full prison term but ensures he’ll spend six months behind bars, register as a sex offender, and pay $250,000 in restitution to his victim, Cindy Clemishire.
Morris, 64, founded Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, in 2000, growing it into a megachurch with tens of thousands of weekly attendees and a global broadcast reach.
His rise intertwined with politics: He joined Trump’s evangelical executive advisory board in 2016 and served on the president’s faith advisory council after the election.
Morris’ Political Connections and Details of Case
In June 2020, Morris hosted Trump and other Republican leaders at Gateway for a “Roundtable on Transition to Greatness.” Though he had no formal role in Trump’s 2024 campaign, his influence in conservative Christian circles was undeniable until allegations surfaced.
The abuse began on Christmas night in 1982, when Clemishire was 12 and Morris, then a traveling evangelist in his early 20s, was staying with her family in Hominy, Oklahoma.
Over the next four and a half years, Morris admitted to more than 100 instances of inappropriate touching, including kissing, petting, and fondling her breasts and genitals under her clothing—acts detailed in the indictment but stopping short of intercourse.
Clemishire recalled Morris warning her, “Never tell anyone about this. It will ruin everything.”
The case resurfaced publicly in June 2024 when Clemishire detailed the abuse online, prompting Morris’ resignation from Gateway amid protests and a class-action lawsuit.
Initially, Morris described it as “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady,” downplaying her age.
In a 2005 phone call obtained by NBC News, he offered Clemishire $25,000 to stay silent in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement—after she sought $50,000 in restitution.
One of his lawyers later blamed her for the “inappropriate sexual conduct.”
Prosecutors pursued charges despite the decades-long delay, invoking an Oklahoma law that pauses the statute of limitations when a defendant leaves the state.
Morris was indicted in March 2025 on five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child.
Morris Pleads Guilty
At his May arraignment, Morris pleaded not guilty and was released on $50,000 bond.
Thursday’s guilty pleas before Judge Cindy Pickerill secured the lenient deal: a 10-year suspended sentence, with only the initial six months in Osage County Jail.
Clemishire, now 55, addressed Morris in court: “Let me be clear. 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.”
She added, “Today marks a new beginning for me, my family and my friends who have been by my side throughout this horrendous journey. Robert, I want you to see me clearly: I am no longer the silenced little girl you abused.”
Clemishire emphasized speaking out to help other victims: “The only way to stop child sexual abuse is to speak up when it happens or is suspected.”
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond hailed the outcome: “There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children.” Morris’ Texas attorney, Bill Mateja, said the plea was “for the sake of finality,” noting Morris had “long since accepted responsibility in the eyes of God.”
The scandal has rippled through evangelical communities, with Gateway facing donation drops and internal probes.
Morris’ Trump ties add irony, given the president’s pro-family rhetoric, but a campaign spokesperson confirmed no 2024 involvement.
As Morris is led away in handcuffs, the case underscores accountability’s long arm—and the shadows in faith leaders’ pasts.
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