LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada judge sentenced “Dances With Wolves” actor Nathan Chasing Horse on Monday to life in prison for sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls.
A jury had previously convicted him of 13 charges, mostly related to sexual assault of three women.
Accusers and their families told Judge Jessica Peterson they continue to suffer from the trauma caused by Chasing Horse, 49, and struggle with their faith after he exploited his position as a spiritual leader.
“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,” said Corena Leone-LaCroix, who was 14 when Chasing Horse assaulted her. “The life that little girl could have lived has been taken from me forever.”
The Associated Press typically does not use the name of alleged sexual assault victims unless they come forward publicly, as Leone-LaCroix has.
Chasing Horse, wearing his navy blue Clark County Detention Center uniform, stared straight ahead as victims read their statements and remained quiet as he was escorted out of the courtroom. He’ll be eligible for parole after serving for 37 years, and has continued to deny the charges against him.
“This is a miscarriage of justice,” he told the judge on Monday.
Peterson said she was struck by his continued denial of the charges despite the evidence shown in trial.
“You preyed on these women’s trusts and their spirituality, and you manipulated them for your own personal gratification," she said before she announced his sentence. When the hearing adjourned, more than a dozen people in the courtroom clapped.
The sentencing wraps a yearslong effort to prosecute the former actor after he was first arrested and indicted in 2023. That initial arrest reverberated around Indian Country, with law enforcement in other states and Canada following up with more criminal charges. Those charges are still pending.
The British Columbia Prosecution Service said Chasing Horse was charged with sexual assault in February 2023, though the date of the alleged offense took place in September 2018 near Keremeos, a village about four hours east of Vancouver. In November 2023, the case paused due to Chasing Horse’s charges in the United States, but resumed the following year.
After all of Chasing Horse’s appeals have been exhausted, British Columbia prosecutors will assess next steps, Damienne Darby, communications counsel for the British Columbia Prosecution Service, said in an email.
A warrant against Chasing Horse remains outstanding in Alberta, the Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service in Alberta said in a statement following Chasing Horse’s conviction in January. The Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service said that it is in contact with the Alberta Crown Prosecutors Office regarding the warrant.
Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, which is home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation. Following his appearance as the young Sioux tribe member Smiles a Lot in Kevin Costner’s Oscar-winning film “Dances With Wolves,” Chasing Horse traveled across Indian Country to attend powwows and perform healing ceremonies.
During his trial, Nevada prosecutors said Chasing Horse used his reputation as a Lakota medicine man to prey on Indigenous women and girls.
Deputy District Attorney Bianca Pucci told the jury that for almost 20 years, Chasing Horse “spun a web of abuse” that ensnared many women.
Jurors heard from three women who said Chasing Horse sexually assaulted them. The jury returned guilty verdicts on some charges. He was acquitted on others.
Multiple victims described how they participated in his ceremonies or went to Chasing Horse for medical help.
Chasing Horse allegedly told Leone-LaCroix when she was 14 that the spirits wanted her to give up her virginity to save her mother, who was diagnosed with cancer. He then sexually assaulted her and told her that if she told anyone, her mother would die, according to Pucci. The sexual assaults continued for years, Pucci said.
Chasing Horse denied the allegations and his attorney questioned the main accuser’s credibility, calling her a “scorned woman.” His attorney had filed a motion for a new trial, arguing that a witness was not qualified to talk about grooming and that the statute of limitations had expired. That motion was denied.
Victims and their family members testified that they struggle with their faith as a result of Chasing Horse’s actions. The mothers of the victims said Chasing Horse betrayed their trust and abused sacred traditions.
“Even to this day I struggle to regain my faith and spirituality,” said Lynnette Adams, the mother of Siera Begaye, one of the other victims.
The AP typically does not use the name of alleged sexual assault victims unless they come forward publicly or approved the use of their names, as Begaye has.
Begaye said she still faces complications after suffering an ectopic pregnancy as a result of the assault and being forced to undergo surgery.
“I am choosing to see this moment as a fresh start," Begaye said. "I will rebuild my life, reclaim my voice and continue fighting for the future I deserve."
FILE - Nathan Chasing Horse, right, talks to his attorney Craig Mueller during his trial on charges of sexually abusing Indigenous women and girls, Jan. 13, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil, file)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war stalled again over the weekend as both sides dug in on their demands, even as they face mounting pressure to reach a compromise.
Iran said it won’t reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless the United States lifts its blockade and ends the war. U.S. President Donald Trump wants a broader deal that would end Iran’s nuclear program and address other issues like its missile program and support for regional proxies.
For both sides, the clock is ticking.
The continued closure of the strait has sent gas prices soaring and could cause further damage to the world economy ahead of U.S. midterm elections. The blockade is strangling Iran’s economy.
Each side is waiting for the other to blink. Here is what to know.
Iran's latest proposal would put off negotiations on its nuclear program to a future date.
Instead, the deal would only see Tehran end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for Washington lifting its blockade on Iranian ports and a long-term or permanent truce, according to two regional officials with knowledge of the proposal who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations.
That offer will likely be rejected by Trump. For one, it doesn't address the core issue he cited when he began bombing on Feb. 28: finding a way to ensure that Iran cannot build an atomic weapon. It also appears to be silent on other major questions, like Iran's missile program and its support of proxies in the region.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to rule out any deal that excludes Iran’s nuclear program, telling Fox News in an interview Monday, “We can’t let them get away with it.”
“We have to ensure that any deal that is made, any agreement that is made, is one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point,” Rubio said.
This weekend, Trump held back sending envoys to Pakistan, which has been playing a crucial mediating role. By saying the Iranians could call Washington with any proposal, Trump appears to be signaling he's content to try to continue to squeeze Iran via a blockade.
The U.S. blockade both squeezes Iran's oil sales — a key source of hard currency for its theocracy — and threatens to force Tehran to eventually shut down its production if it can't get its crude to market. Already, Iran has faced troubles at home over its economy, and it could worsen as time goes on.
The global economy also is suffering: With few ships able to cross the strait, through which about 20% of all traded oil and natural gas passes, oil and gasoline prices are skyrocketing and jet fuel, cooking gas and other energy products are starting to become scarce in parts of the world.
The current truce began April 8 after multiple deadlines posed by Trump that threatened Iran’s very “civilization” at one point. A separate ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon also has taken effect.
Trump has now extended the ceasefire with Iran indefinitely after whipsawing between various timelines for the conflict.
But negotiations for ending the war have stalled.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance took part in an earlier round of talks days after the truce began — the highest-level ones between America and Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. They ended without agreement.
Pakistan is trying to get the two sides back to the table in Islamabad. But this weekend it took down all the checkpoints and security it had in place in anticipation of negotiations. That signals there’s no immediate hope of talks resuming.
While negotiations appear at a stalemate, the U.S. military presence in the Middle East continues to grow. As of Monday, the U.S. Navy had three aircraft carrier groups in the region: the USS Abraham Lincoln, the USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS George H.W. Bush.
Those carriers include some 15,000 sailors and Marines, as well as over 200 aircraft and additional ships. An amphibious assault group led by the USS Tripoli is also in the Mideast, with its own sailors, Marines and aircraft.
That comes on top of the warplanes, refuelers and other troop deployments to the region.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, Russian state news agency Tass said. That followed Araghchi's visits to Pakistan and Oman in recent days. Pakistan has been a key mediator in this war, and Oman has long has been a key interlocutor between the U.S. and Iran.
Russia broadly has stayed out of the latest conflict. Moscow has been floated as a possibility to take in Iran's highly enriched uranium — removal of which Trump has insisted on. That uranium could be used to build a bomb, should Iran choose to pursue one — though Tehran insists its program is only for civilian purposes.
Russia has signaled it is willing to assist, though Tehran maintains it will not give up its stockpile.
All of Iran’s highly enriched uranium remains in the country, likely entombed at enrichment sites bombed by the U.S. during a 12-day war last June.
Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.
Pro-government demonstrators attend a gathering in Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A cargo ship sails in the Persian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz, Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (AP Photo)
An army soldier, left, walks as police officer drives motorcycle on an empty road ahead of second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
A soldier stands guard on a bridge ahead of second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/M.A. Sheikh)
Workers walk past billboards near the Serena Hotel ahead of the second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
