<div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-0"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Robert Morris, the founder of a Texas megachurch and a former faith adviser to the Trump White House, was indicted Wednesday on charges that he molested a girl over several years in the 1980s, the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office said.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Last summer, days after Cindy Clemishire <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2024/06/15/southlake-megachurch-pastor-robert-morris-accused-of-sexual-abuse/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">publicly accused</a> Mr. Morris, 63, of having abused her when she was a girl, Mr. Morris <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/18/us/pastor-robert-morris-gateway-church.html" title="">resigned</a> as the senior pastor of the Dallas-based Gateway Church.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">On Wednesday, a grand jury indicted Mr. Morris on five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child after concluding that he had used his hands and body to touch the girl’s private parts from when she was 12 until she was 14, according to the indictment. The indictment refers to the girl only as C.C.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Ms. Clemishire, 55, of Oklahoma, told <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/faith/2024/10/09/woman-who-accused-gateway-church-founder-of-sexual-abuse-says-recovery-has-been-lifelong/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">The Dallas Morning News</a> last year that the abuse had begun when her family invited Mr. Morris — then a young, traveling preacher — to stay at their home in Oklahoma on Christmas Day in 1982. It took her decades to realize that what had happened to her was abuse and a crime, Ms. Clemishire told the newspaper.</p></div><aside aria-label="companion column" class="css-ew4tgv"></aside></div><div data-testid="Dropzone-1"></div><div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-1"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">In a statement on Wednesday, Ms. Clemishire said, “After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me.” She added, “My family and I are deeply grateful to the authorities who have worked tirelessly to make this day possible and remain hopeful that justice will ultimately prevail.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Lawyers who had represented Mr. Morris did not immediately respond to phone calls and emails seeking comment.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">In a <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/pastor-robert-morris-confesses-to-moral-failure.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">statement</a> to The Christian Post last year after Ms. Clemishire made her allegations, Mr. Morris, who founded Gateway Church in 2000, confessed that he had engaged in “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady.” Gateway Church, one of the largest churches in the United States, claimed to have more than 100,000 attendees.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">In a statement on Wednesday night, Gateway Church said: “We are aware of the actions being taken by the legal authorities in Oklahoma and are grateful for the work of the justice system in holding abusers accountable for their actions. We continue to pray for Cindy Clemishire and her family, for the members and staff of Gateway Church, and for all of those impacted by this terrible situation.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Mr. Morris had served on a faith advisory council during President Trump’s first term. He <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-roundtable-transition-greatness-restoring-rebuilding-renewing-dallas-tx/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">hosted Mr. Trump</a> at Gateway Church in June 2020. In 2024, a spokesman for Mr. Trump said that Mr. Morris had not played a role in his 2024 presidential campaign.</p></div><aside aria-label="companion column" class="css-ew4tgv"></aside></div><div data-testid="Dropzone-3"></div><div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-2"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Specifics about the criminal investigation into Ms. Clemishire’s claims were not immediately available. The charges that Mr. Morris faces each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0"></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0"></p><p class="css-798hid etfikam0">Sheelagh McNeill<!-- --> contributed research.</p></div><aside aria-label="companion column" class="css-ew4tgv"></aside></div><div data-testid="RelatedLinksBlock-5"><div data-testid="lazy-loader"></div></div>