Large Church Pastor and Ex-Trump Adviser Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual Abuse
The founder of among the biggest megachurches in the US, the pastor, has admitted guilt to sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in the state of Oklahoma during the 1980s period.
The pastor, sixty-four, entered a guilty plea on Thursday in the local court on multiple charges of inappropriate acts with a child. He was given a sentence to 10 years in custody, but as part of a plea deal will only serve six months in local jail.
He will register as a registered offender and be required to pay $250,000 in compensation.
Background of the Case
The disgraced pastor founded the church in the city of Southlake, Texas. He expanded it into among the ten biggest large churches in the US, with over twenty-five thousand visitors 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 child of twelve. We were not involved in any improper relationship. I was not a young woman but a minor. You committed a crime against me.”
Her sister Karen Black also made a declaration, saying: “You pretended to be holy, preaching from large platforms. As you hid behind your facade, we’ve been aware you are nothing but a predator.”
The pastor stepped down from the congregation last year after the victim went public. She had spent years trying to hold her abuser accountable.
Details of the Incidents
The molestation started in 1982 when the pastor, then 21, was a itinerant preacher. He stayed with Clemishire’s family in their home, where he invited the girl into his room.
The molestation continued for the following four years.
A leaked transcript of a phone call showed that in 2005, the pastor tried to bribe Clemishire into silence, telling her to “put a price on it”.
Fall from Grace and Connections
Morris’s conviction signals a dramatic downfall for the pastor. At his peak, he authored multiple popular books and his sermons were transmitted globally.
He also became a spiritual adviser to the former president. He joined the White House spiritual advisory committee during the first Trump presidency and was part of a campaign to organize religious voters for him in last year’s presidential campaign.
Trump also visited the church in 2020 where he commended the pastor and his senior team as “great people with a great reputation”.
