A Nevada judge has sentenced former actor Nathan Chasing Horse, 49, to life in prison for sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls, with eligibility for parole after 37 years. Chasing Horse, best known for playing the young Sioux member Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner's Oscar-winning 1990 film Dances With Wolves, was convicted in January on 13 of the 21 charges he faced, mostly relating to the assault of three women. One victim was just 14 years old when the abuse began.

Prosecutors described how Chasing Horse, who was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota — home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation — built a reputation as a medicine man across Indigenous communities in both the United States and Canada. Following his film career, he travelled widely to attend powwows and perform healing ceremonies, a platform Deputy District Attorney Bianca Pucci said he used to "spin a web of abuse" spanning nearly two decades. Victims and their families testified that he exploited their spiritual beliefs and trust in traditional healing, targeting women who came to him seeking medical or ceremonial help. In one particularly disturbing account, Chasing Horse allegedly told a 14-year-old victim that the spirits required her to give up her virginity to save her mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer, and then threatened her with her mother's death if she spoke out.

At Monday's sentencing hearing in Las Vegas, victim Corena Leone-LaCroix, who has spoken publicly about her experience, addressed the court directly. "There is no way to get back the youth, the childhood loss, my first time, my first kiss, the graduation I never got to have," she said. "The life that little girl could have lived has been taken from me forever." Another victim, Siera Begaye, described ongoing physical and emotional consequences from the assault, including complications following an ectopic pregnancy. Judge Jessica Peterson, visibly struck by Chasing Horse's continued denial of all charges, told him: "You preyed on these women's trusts and their spirituality, and you manipulated them for your own personal gratification." When the hearing concluded, more than a dozen people in the courtroom applauded.

The Nevada conviction does not mark the end of Chasing Horse's legal troubles. Criminal charges remain pending in the Canadian province of British Columbia, where he is accused of sexual assault allegedly committed in 2018 near Keremeos, a village roughly four hours east of Vancouver. An outstanding arrest warrant also exists in the Canadian province of Alberta, where the Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service has confirmed it is working with provincial prosecutors. Canadian authorities have said they will assess next steps once his American appeals process is exhausted.

The case carries particular weight across Indigenous communities in both countries, where it has exposed how positions of spiritual authority can be weaponised against vulnerable people. Victims' mothers testified that Chasing Horse's actions had shattered their faith and led them to question sacred traditions. His initial arrest in 2023 prompted law enforcement across multiple jurisdictions to act, reflecting the broad geographic reach of his alleged crimes. For many in Indian Country, the sentence represents a hard-fought moment of accountability — and a warning that cultural and spiritual trust cannot be exploited with impunity.