What Happened to Nathan Lee Chasing Horse?

Nathan Lee Chasing Horse, once recognized for his role as Smiles A Lot in the 1990 film 'Dances With Wolves,' has been at the center of a sprawling criminal investigation and prosecution for sexually abusing Indigenous women and girls for decades. Chasing Horse, who also appeared in TNT telefilms like 'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,' leveraged a self-proclaimed status as a Lakota medicine man and leader of a cult known as 'The Circle' to gain trust and manipulate his victims.

The allegations against Chasing Horse span from the early 2000s across multiple U.S. states, including Nevada, Montana, and South Dakota, and into Canada. Authorities describe 'The Circle' as a cult where members viewed Chasing Horse as a spiritual authority capable of communicating with higher powers, creating a significant power imbalance he exploited. Police reports indicated that he instructed his wives to use firearms against law enforcement or take 'suicide pills' if their 'family' was threatened.

The legal proceedings gained significant momentum with his arrest on January 31, 2023, in North Las Vegas, following a months-long investigation that began with a tip from Canadian authorities. He was initially indicted on 19 charges, including sexual assault, kidnapping, and drug trafficking. Although the Nevada Supreme Court ordered the dismissal of his original indictment in September 2024 due to improper grand jury instructions and failure to present exculpatory evidence, a new 21-count indictment was unsealed in October 2024, adding felony charges for producing and possessing child sexual abuse materials.

His trial in Nevada commenced in January 2026, drawing national attention. Jurors heard emotional testimony from three women, some of whom were underage when the assaults began, detailing how Chasing Horse used spiritual coercion, such as telling a 14-year-old victim that spirits wanted her to give up her virginity to save her cancer-stricken mother. On January 30, 2026, a Nevada jury convicted Chasing Horse on 13 of the 21 charges, including 10 counts of sexual assault with a minor under 16. He was acquitted on some other charges.

Sentencing was initially scheduled for March 11, 2026, then postponed to March 18, 2026, and ultimately took place on April 27, 2026. A Nevada judge sentenced Nathan Chasing Horse to life in prison for sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls. Chasing Horse denied the charges, calling it a 'miscarriage of justice.' Beyond the U.S. conviction, charges for sexual assault remain pending against him in British Columbia, Canada, stemming from an alleged incident in September 2018. British Columbia prosecutors have stated they will assess next steps once U.S. appeals are exhausted. A warrant also remains outstanding in Alberta.