A former actor who appeared in the Oscar-winning film “Dances With Wolves” is going to prison for decades. Nathan Chasing Horse, 49, was sentenced Monday to 37 years to life for sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls across North America for nearly 20 years.
The actor sentenced for sexual assault exploited his reputation as a self-proclaimed Lakota medicine man to prey on vulnerable victims. A Nevada jury convicted him on 13 charges, mostly related to sexual assault of three women, including one who was just 14 years old when the abuse began.
Prosecutors described a calculated pattern of manipulation. Deputy District Attorney Bianca Pucci told the jury that Chasing Horse “spun a web of abuse” that ensnared many women over two decades. He used his role as a spiritual leader to gain trust, then betrayed it completely.
One victim, Corena Leone-LaCroix, was 14 in 2012 when Chasing Horse told her the spirits wanted her to give up her virginity to save her mother, who had cancer. He then sexually assaulted her and warned that her mother would die if she told anyone. The assaults continued for years.
Judge Jessica Peterson handed down the maximum sentence. Chasing Horse must serve a minimum of 25 years before becoming eligible for parole. He received credit for 1,184 days already served since his 2023 arrest .
Before announcing the sentence, the judge told Chasing Horse: “You preyed on these women’s trusts and their spirituality, and you manipulated them for your own personal gratification”. The actor has maintained his innocence, calling the verdict “a miscarriage of justice”.
The legal fight is not over. Chasing Horse faces additional charges in Canada, including sexual assault in British Columbia from an alleged 2018 incident. A warrant also remains outstanding in Alberta.
Survivors delivered powerful statements before sentencing. “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,” Leone-LaCroix said. “The life that little girl could have lived has been taken from me forever”.
