Robert Morris, the influential founder of a Texas megachurch that boasts one of the nation’s largest congregations, officially pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges of sexually abusing a young girl in the 1980s. This admission comes to light through recently released court documents.
Prosecutors detailed the allegations, stating that Mr. Morris, currently 64, initiated the abuse against Cindy Clemishire when she was just 12 years old in 1982. The abuse, involving inappropriate physical contact, reportedly continued until Ms. Clemishire turned 14.
Ms. Clemishire previously recounted in a 2024 interview with The Dallas Morning News that the abuse began during a Christmas visit to her family’s Oklahoma home in 1982.
His resignation last year from his senior pastor position at Dallas-based Gateway Church followed Ms. Clemishire’s public accusations. In her Dallas Morning News interview, she expressed that it took decades for her to fully comprehend the nature of the acts as abuse and a crime.
Earlier this year, in March, Mr. Morris faced legal proceedings and was indicted on five counts related to lewd or indecent acts against a child.
The guilty plea was entered in the Osage County Courthouse in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. As part of a plea agreement, Mr. Morris received a 10-year suspended sentence. He is mandated to serve the initial six months in the Osage County Jail, followed by supervised release, and will be required to register as a sex offender. Furthermore, he was ordered to pay Ms. Clemishire $270,000 in restitution.
During Thursday’s emotional hearing, The Dallas Morning News reported that Ms. Clemishire delivered a tearful statement. She spoke about the profound impact of Mr. Morris’s abuse on her understanding of love, leading her to believe her body “was not sacred.”
“I am not a victim; I am a survivor,” Ms. Clemishire powerfully declared in her statement, as reported by The Dallas Morning News.
The Dallas Morning News observed that Mr. Morris avoided eye contact with Ms. Clemishire throughout her testimony. Video footage from the publication showed Mr. Morris being led from the courtroom in handcuffs, escorted by court officers.
Bill Mateja, legal counsel for Mr. Morris, issued a statement conveying his client’s “sincere apologies” to Ms. Clemishire and her family, adding that he “asks for their forgiveness.”
Mateja further clarified that while Mr. Morris believes he had “long since accepted responsibility in the eyes of God — and that Gateway Church was a manifestation of that acceptance — he readily accepted responsibility in the eyes of the law by virtue of his guilty plea.”
Mr. Morris was a highly influential figure within the American Christian community. He established Gateway Church in 2000, which subsequently flourished under his leadership to encompass a congregation of more than 30,000 individuals.
Notably, Mr. Morris also served on a faith advisory council during President Trump’s initial term in office and even hosted the former president at Gateway Church in June 2020.