The head of one of the largest large congregations in the United States, the pastor, has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in the state of Oklahoma during the 1980s period.
The pastor, 64, entered a guilty plea on Thursday in Osage county district court on five criminal counts of inappropriate acts with a minor. He was sentenced 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 $250,000 in restitution.
Background of the Legal Matter
The former minister established the church in the city of Southlake, Texas. He expanded it into among the ten biggest megachurches in the US, with over twenty-five thousand attendees weekly.
The victim, fifty-five, the individual who publicly identified herself as the victim of the abuse, was there in court as he pleaded guilty. In a written declaration she stated: “There is no such thing as consent from a 12-year-old child. We were never in an ‘inappropriate relationship’. I was not a young woman but a minor. You committed a crime against me.”
Her sister a family member also made a declaration, stating: “You acted as if you were righteous, preaching from big pulpits. As you hid behind your facade, we’ve been aware you are nothing but a predator.”
Morris resigned from the church last year after the victim made her story known. She had devoted many years seeking justice for the abuse.
Specifics of the Incidents
The molestation started in the year 1982 when the pastor, then 21, was a itinerant preacher. He was a guest of Clemishire’s family in their residence, where he invited the girl into his room.
The abuse continued for the next four-year period.
A leaked transcript of a phone call showed that in 2005, the pastor attempted to pay off the victim into silence, saying to her to “put a price on it”.
Fall from Grace and Connections
The guilty verdict marks a remarkable fall for the minister. At his height, he authored several bestselling books and his teachings were broadcast around the world.
He also served as a religious counselor to Donald Trump. He joined the White House spiritual advisory committee during the initial Trump administration and was part of a campaign to organize religious voters for him in the recent election.
Trump also visited the church in 2020 where he praised the pastor and his senior team as “wonderful individuals with a great reputation”.
