'Dances With Wolves' actor Nathan Chasing Horse sentenced to life in prison after sexual assault conviction
Nathan Chasing Horse told the judge 'this is a miscarriage of justice' as victims described ongoing trauma in court
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Dances With Wolves" star Nathan Chasing Horse has been sentenced to life in prison for sexual assault.
According to the Associated Press, a Nevada judge sentenced the actor on Monday. Earlier this year, jurors found Chasing Horse guilty of 13 of the 21 charges he faced, most involving a victim who was 14 years old when the assaults began.
According to the outlet, Chasing Horse stared straight ahead as the victims and their families told Judge Jessica Peterson about the trauma they continue to suffer from. "This is a miscarriage of justice," the actor told the judge on Monday. Chasing Horse continued to deny the charges against him.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nathan Chasing Horse, a former actor known for "Dancing with Wolves," was convicted on multiple sexual assault charges on Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Images)
Chasing Horse was acquitted on several sexual assault charges from a later period when the 14-year-old victim was older and living with him and other companions.
'DANCES WITH WOLVES' ACTOR NATHAN CHASING HORSE CONVICTED ON SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES
During his trial in January, prosecutors said the former actor weaponized his reputation as a Lakota medicine man, exploiting cultural traditions and spiritual beliefs to prey on Indigenous women and girls.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This is a miscarriage of justice."
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The verdict capped a yearslong effort to hold Chasing Horse accountable after he was first arrested and indicted in 2023, sending what authorities described as shock waves through the area.
Over the course of an 11-day trial, jurors heard testimony from three women who claimed Chasing Horse sexually assaulted them, some while they were underage. The jury ultimately returned guilty verdicts on charges tied to all three accusers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nathan Chasing Horse is escorted out of a courtroom at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas after a jury found him guilty of sexual assault on Jan. 30, 2026. (Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
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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. He became widely known for portraying Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning 1990 film "Dances with Wolves," one of the most prominent movies of its time to feature Native American actors.
The trial unfolded amid increased scrutiny of violence against Native women, an issue authorities have acknowledged has long been underreported and under-prosecuted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nathan Chasing Horse in a booking photo released on Jan. 31, 2023. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department/AP)
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Chasing Horse also faces sex crime charges in other states and in Canada. British Columbia prosecutors said Friday they will determine how to proceed after his sentencing and any appeals in the United States are completed.
Fox News Digital's Stephanie Giang-Paunon and the Associated Press contributed to this report.