Robert Morris, founder of the Texas Mega Church and former faith adviser to the Trump White House, was charged Wednesday with accusations of abusing a girl for years in the 1980s, the Oklahoma Attorney General said.
Last summer, Morris resigned as a senior pastor at Dallas-based Gateway Church, days after Cindi Cremicia publicly accused Morris of abusing her when she was a girl.
On Wednesday, the large ju court filed Morris with counts of five felony counts of child lewd or vulgarity after he concluded that he used his hands and body to touch the girl's private parts between the ages of 12 and 14, according to the indictment. The indictment refers only to girls as CC
Clemisher, 55, of Oklahoma, told Dallas Morning News last year that the abuse began when his family invited Morris, who was staying at his Oklahoma home on Christmas Day 1982.
In a statement Wednesday, Kremisher said: “Nearly 43 years later, the law finally caught up with Robert Morris because of the horrific crime he committed against me.” She said, “My family and I are deeply grateful to the authorities who have made tireless efforts to make this day possible and continue to hope that justice will ultimately win.”
The attorney who represented Morris and the Gateway Church did not immediately respond to calls or emails seeking comment.
In a statement to the Christian Post last year after Kremisher filed her allegations, Morris, who founded Gateway Church in 2000, confessed that he had engaged in “inappropriate sexual behavior with young women.” Gateway Church, one of the largest churches in the United States, claimed it had more than 100,000 participants.
Details regarding the criminal investigation into Mr. Clemisher's allegations were not immediately available. The charges Morris faces are in charge of the 20-year maximum penalty in prison.
“What happened to Cindy Kremisher is heartbreaking and sleazy, and we condemn sexual abuse in all of its forms,” Tra Willbanks, an elder at Gateway Church, said in a speech in November about the allegations against Morris. He praised Ms. Kremisher for her courage, adding, “She has affected countless lives.”
Morris served on the Faith Advisory Committee during President Trump's first term. He hosted Trump at Gateway Church in June 2020. In 2024, a Trump spokesman said Morris had not played a role in the 2024 presidential election.
Sheila McNeill Contributed research.
