Robert Morris, the 64-year-old founder of Gateway Church in Texas, has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl more than four decades ago.
The shocking case has stunned both the faith community and the public, given Morris’ long-standing influence as a religious leader.
The abuse occurred in the 1980s in Hominy, Oklahoma, while Morris was a traveling evangelist living with the victim’s family.
On Wednesday, he admitted in court to felony charges of lewd and indecent acts with a child.
Morris was sentenced to 10 years, though he will serve only six months in jail, followed by probation.
In addition, he must register as a sex offender and pay $250,000 in restitution.
The victim, Cindy Clemishere, now 55, was present in court as Morris entered his plea.
Through tears, she addressed her abuser, describing the lifelong trauma caused by his actions.
She firmly rejected Morris’ earlier attempt to frame the incident as a “moral failure” with a “young lady.”
“There was no such thing as consent from a 12-year-old child. I was not a young lady. I was a child,” Clemishere said.
She added that his abuse had “rippled into every part of her life,” leaving scars that endured for decades.
Clemishere revealed that she reported the abuse to her parents and church leaders in 1987.
However, no one contacted the police at the time. This silence allowed Morris to continue his ministry without accountability for many years.
In 2000, Morris went on to found Gateway Church, which became one of the largest megachurches in the United States, boasting more than 100,000 members across nine campuses.
His influence stretched beyond the pulpit, as he served on Donald Trump’s evangelical advisory committee in 2016.
Morris stepped down from leadership at Gateway Church in 2024 after Clemishere publicly shared her story.
His guilty plea this year marks the end of a decades-long battle for justice.
