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Nathan Chasing Horse, an American actor who starred in Dances With Wolves, has been sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls.
A Nevada judge handed down the sentence on Monday, following his conviction on 13 charges, most related to sexual assault. He was accused by three women, including one who was 14 when the abuse began. He was acquitted on some other counts.
During the sentencing, victims and their families told Judge Jessica Peterson they continue to suffer lasting trauma and struggle with their faith after Chasing Horse allegedly exploited his role as a spiritual leader. Dressed in a navy blue Clark County Detention Center uniform, he stared ahead as statements were read. He denied the charges.
“This is a miscarriage of justice,” he told the court.
The sentencing concludes a years-long effort to prosecute the former actor, who was first arrested and indicted in 2023.
The British Columbia Prosecution Service said he was also charged with sexual assault in February 2023 over an alleged incident in September 2018 near Keremeos, a village east of Vancouver. Proceedings in that case were paused in November 2023 due to his U.S. charges but resumed the following year.
Authorities in Alberta also confirmed that an arrest warrant remains outstanding. The Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service said it is working with the Alberta Crown Prosecutors’ Office regarding the matter.
Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation. After his role as Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning film Dances With Wolves, he traveled widely to attend powwows and conduct ceremonies.
Prosecutors in Nevada said he used his reputation as a Lakota medicine man to prey on Indigenous women and girls over nearly two decades.
Deputy District Attorney Bianca Pucci told jurors that he “spun a web of abuse” that ensnared multiple victims.
Jurors heard testimony from three women who said he assaulted them, returning guilty verdicts on several charges involving all three.
One of the victims, Corena Leone-LaCroix, said she was 14 in 2012 when Chasing Horse allegedly told her she needed to give up her virginity to save her mother, who had cancer. Prosecutors said he then assaulted her and threatened that her mother would die if she spoke out. The abuse continued for years.
Chasing Horse denied all allegations. His defense challenged the credibility of the main accuser and sought a new trial, arguing issues with witness testimony and the statute of limitations, but the motion was denied.
Victims and their families said the abuse deeply affected their spiritual beliefs and trust.
“Even to this day, I struggle to regain my faith and spirituality,” one victim’s mother said.
Another victim said she continues to suffer medical complications after an ectopic pregnancy resulting from the abuse, which required surgery.
“I am choosing to see this moment as a fresh start,” one victim said. “I will rebuild my life, reclaim my voice, and continue fighting for the future I deserve.”
