2 months ago
The laminitis and erstwhile pastor of 1 of nan US’s largest megachurches has been released from an Oklahoma jailhouse six months aft pleading blameworthy to sexually abusing a 12-year-old woman successful nan 1980s.
Robert Morris, 64, who started Texas’s Gateway religion and besides erstwhile served arsenic a White House belief advisor during Donald Trump’s first presidency, pleaded guilty successful early October successful Osage region territory tribunal connected 5 counts of lewd aliases indecent acts pinch a child.
Under a plea agreement, Morris only had to service six months successful nan Osage region jail, pinch nan remainder of his 10-year condemnation suspended. He was besides required to registry arsenic a activity offender and salary $270,000 successful restitution.
Morris was released from custody early connected Tuesday, having completed his sentence, according to jailhouse records and local reports. CBS News reported that he will stay nether supervision, pinch 9 and a half years of probation.
Gateway religion successful Southlake, Texas, grew into 1 of nan largest megachurches successful nan US aft Morris founded and led it.
Cindy Clemishire, nan female who publically identified herself arsenic nan unfortunate of Morris’s intersexual abuse, told nan Dallas Morning News successful 2024 that nan maltreatment began successful 1982 erstwhile she was 12 years aged and Morris was 21. At nan time, he moving arsenic a walking preacher, and her family fto him enactment astatine their location successful Oklahoma.
Clemishire was coming successful nan courtroom erstwhile Morris pleaded guilty successful nan fall. In a prepared connection astatine nan time, she said: “There is nary specified point arsenic consent from a 12-year-old child. We were ne'er successful an ‘inappropriate relationship.’ I was not a ‘young lady’ but a child. You committed a crime against me.”
Morris resigned arsenic elder pastor of Gateway religion successful 2024 aft Clemishire went public. He was indicted successful March 2025 connected nan counts to which he later pleaded guilty.
During Trump’s first word successful nan Oval Office, Morris served connected an evangelical advisory board. Trump besides attended a roundtable astatine Gateway religion successful June 2020.
