đ Share this article Large Church Pastor and Ex-Trump Counselor Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse of a Minor The head of among the biggest large congregations in the US, Robert Morris, has pleaded guilty to molesting a 12-year-old girl in Oklahoma during the 1980s period. Morris, 64, entered a guilty plea on Thursday in the local court on five criminal counts of lewd or indecent acts with a minor. He was given a sentence to a decade in custody, but as part of a plea deal will serve only half a year in county jail. He will be listed as a registered offender and be required to pay a quarter million dollars in restitution. Background of the Legal Matter The former minister established Gateway church in the city of Southlake, Texas. He grew it into among the ten biggest megachurches in the US, with over twenty-five thousand visitors each week. Cindy Clemishire, fifty-five, the individual who publicly identified herself as the survivor of Morrisâs sexual abuse, was there in court as he pleaded guilty. In a prepared statement she told him: âIt is impossible to have agreement from a child of twelve. We were never in an âinappropriate relationshipâ. I was not a young woman but a minor. You committed a crime against me.â Her sister a family member also read a statement, stating: âYou pretended to be holy, preaching from big pulpits. As you hid behind your facade, weâve been aware you are nothing but a predator.â Morris stepped down from the church the previous year after the victim went public. She had spent years seeking justice for the abuse. Specifics of the Incidents The abuse started in 1982 when the pastor, then 21, was a travelling evangelist. He was a guest of Clemishireâs family in their residence, where he asked the girl into his room. The abuse continued for the following four years. A revealed recording of a phone call revealed that in 2005, the pastor attempted to pay off the victim into silence, saying to her to âname your priceâ. Downfall and Connections Morrisâs conviction marks a remarkable fall for the pastor. At his height, he authored several bestselling books and his teachings were broadcast globally. He also became a spiritual adviser to Donald Trump. He was part of the presidential advisory group during the initial Trump administration and was involved in an effort to organize evangelical voters for him in the recent election. Trump also visited the church in 2020 where he praised Morris and his leadership as âgreat people with a great reputationâ.