Large Church Minister and Ex-Trump Counselor Admits Guilt to Sexual Abuse of a Minor
The head of among the biggest large congregations in the US, the pastor, has admitted guilt to molesting a young girl in the state of Oklahoma during the 1980s period.
Morris, 64, pleaded guilty on Thursday in the local court on five criminal counts of inappropriate acts with a minor. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but under an agreement will serve only six months in local jail.
He will be listed as a registered offender and pay $250,000 in compensation.
Context of the Case
The disgraced pastor founded Gateway church in the city of Southlake, Texas. He expanded it into among the ten biggest large churches in the US, with more than 25,000 attendees weekly.
Cindy Clemishire, fifty-five, the woman who came forward as the victim of the abuse, was present in the courtroom as he pleaded guilty. In a prepared statement she stated: “There is no such thing as consent from a child of twelve. We were never in an ‘inappropriate relationship’. I was not a young woman but a child. You performed a criminal act against me.”
Her sister Karen Black also made a declaration, saying: “You pretended to be holy, preaching from big pulpits. As you concealed your true self, we’ve known you are simply a predator.”
Morris stepped down from the congregation the previous year after the victim made her story known. She had devoted many years seeking justice for the abuse.
Specifics of the Abuse
The abuse began in the year 1982 when the pastor, at age twenty-one, was a itinerant preacher. He stayed with the family in their home, where he invited the child into his bedroom.
The molestation continued for the next four-year period.
A revealed recording of a conversation revealed that in 2005, the pastor attempted to pay off Clemishire into silence, saying to her to “name your price”.
Downfall and Connections
Morris’s conviction signals a dramatic downfall for the pastor. At his peak, he authored several bestselling books and his teachings were transmitted globally.
He also became a spiritual adviser to Donald Trump. He was part of the presidential advisory group during the first Trump presidency and was part of a campaign to organize religious voters for him in the recent election.
The former president also visited Gateway church in 2020 where he praised the pastor and his leadership as “wonderful individuals with a great reputation”.