NAFPS Forum

Actor Nathan Chasing Horse sentenced to life in prison in Nevada for sexual assault
April 27, 2026 / 7:44 PM EDT / AP

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Nathan Chasing Horse has been sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls.

A Nevada judge gave the "Dances With Wolves" actor his sentence Monday. A jury had previously convicted him of 13 charges, mostly related to sexual assault. He was accused by three women, including one who was 14 when the assaults began. He was acquitted on some charges.

Accusers and their families told Judge Jessica Peterson they continue to suffer from the trauma caused by Chasing Horse and struggle with their faith after he exploited his position as a spiritual leader.

Chasing Horse, wearing his navy blue Clark County Detention Center uniform, stared straight ahead as victims read their statements. He denied the charges against him.

"This is a miscarriage of justice," he told the judge on Monday.

Other charges in Canada are still pending
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.

January trial focuses on his role as spiritual leader
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 related to all three.

Multiple victims described how they participated in his ceremonies or went to Chasing Horse for medical help.

Corena Leone-LaCroix, one of the victims, was 14 in 2012 when Chasing Horse allegedly told her 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. 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 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," a victim's mother said.

One victim 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. I will rebuild my life, reclaim my voice and continue fighting for the future I deserve," one victim said.

Dr. Crystal Lee, CEO and founder of the organization United Natives, which offers services to victims of sexual abuse, said she hopes the victims find peace with the sentencing. Lee said Chasing Horse's case shows the importance of holding high-profile perpetrators accountable, and believing the victims involved.

Chasing Horse used his status as an actor and medicine man to prey on victims, similarly to other faith leaders who abuse their power, Lee said.

"I think it makes us question who we trust and why we trust," Lee said.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nathan-chasing-horse-nevada-sexual-assault-prison-sentence/

QuoteHe is an enrolled member of the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama and the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware.

https://nursing.utexas.edu/faculty/john-lowe

Both the Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama, Inc. and Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware, Inc. are state recognized, not federal.

What I would do:

If I thought I had Red River Métis ancestry, I'd have the needed genealogy work done: https://shsb.mb.ca/overview/?lang=en

If I thought I might be eligible for Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians membership, I'd apply: https://www.saulttribe.com/membership-services/tribal-enrollment

If I wanted to spend time on the Sault Tribe reservation and in community, I'd look for ways to do so: https://www.facebook.com/saulttribe I wouldn't expect a grant to pay me (?!) since my goal would be to socialize, volunteer, maybe make some friends.

I wouldn't expect anyone to fawn over me. I'd accept the fact that maybe I'm not eligible for enrollment.

If I thought I had distant heritage I'd accept that this isn't necessarily a big deal and that I could be wrong.

I wouldn't be posting confusing claims about my heritage online about this, I'd just do the work.

"though I'm still trying to locate the last doc I would need to get enrolled"

This is ridiculous.

Dr. Pyle needs to stop flailing and connect up with wherever they believe they can be enrolled https://www.saulttribe.com/membership-services/tribal-enrollment

For their entire genealogy they need to pay for professional genealogy, for instance through an organization like this: https://members.apgen.org/members/directory/search_APG.php?org_id=APG 

Dr. Pyle needs to do the actual work. Stop talking at us, do the work.

Kai Pyle (KP) posted on Tumblr about the NAFPS thread. Screenshots of that Tumblr post are attached. KP listed three issues with the genealogy that's been posted here. I've responded to each of these issues below.

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Quotea) at least one ancestral line that was missed entirely

If KP is inferring the Sophia Douville line was left out accidentally, it wasn't. It was actually left out intentionally as only the genealogy necessary to verify KP's specific claims has been posted. This was clearly stated in my first post:

Quote from: Advanced Smite on March 27, 2026, 12:57:17 AMDisclaimer
All of this research was done using publicly available information. It is my opinion. There is a lack of clarity on some lines that could lead to a Native American ancestor. The purpose of this research was to verify KP's specific claims - not to find distant ancestry. Please forgive any typos - this was prepared quickly and I couldn't find spell check in the new forum format.

There are several Ancestry.com users that believe Sophia Douville's mother was Menominee. While that information would explain KP's tweet about an ancestor receiving annuity payments from the Treaty of Lake Poygan, it doesn't explain why:

- KP claims to be a Sault Ste Marie descendant through Mrs. Battise Plant.
- KP claims their paternal grandmother's mother was Red River Metis.

If Sophia Douville's mother was Menominee, it raises an even more interesting question - why does KP claim to be a Sault Ste Marie and Red River Metis descendant (see below) instead of Menominee?

QuoteAs a Red River Métis and Sault Ste. Marie Ojibwe descendant, I am also interested in how present-day queer, trans, and Two-Spirit Indigenous people make connections with these ancestral legacies.

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Source: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Direct Link: https://gws.wisc.edu/staff/pyle-kai/
Archive Link: https://archive.ph/CoHbQ

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Quoteb) another line that clearly shows my ancestors as Halfbreeds which has been deemed unreliable for unclear reasons

This is quite disingenuous. KP says the "line" was "deemed unreliable for unclear reasons" which isn't true. One type of record, the Wisconsin birth record, identifies KP's 3x great-grandfather and his siblings as half breeds. I called it an "anomaly" because other records reviewed identify KP's 3x great-grandfather AND his parents as "white."

I was completely transparent about the existence of this documentation and candid about not having an explanation.

I never said it was unreliable BUT it is one record.

I would never say someone isn't Native American based on their family being documented as "white" on one record. Conversely, I would never say someone is Sault Ste Marie or Red River Metis based on a 3x great-grandfather being identified as a "half breed" on one record.

There has to be more documentation than just the Wisconsin birth record that leads KP to believe their 3x great-grandfather, Alexander LaPlante, is Sault Ste Marie. What is it?

Quote from: Advanced Smite on March 27, 2026, 12:57:17 AMIn my opinion, there are reasons to question KP's claims. At the same time, I want to be clear that it's possible KP may have distant Native American (NA) ancestry. An anomaly in the documentation is that KP's 3x great-grandfather and his siblings are marked as half breeds on their Wisconsin birth records. I will provide one potential theory below. I want to be transparent up front about that information but emphasize there are big issues with KP's claims. KP has made very specific claims to being Sault Ste Marie and Metis on social media that don't appear to hold up to scrutiny.

...

It's interesting that KP's 3x great-grandfather, Alexander LaPlante, and his siblings are listed as half breeds on their Wisconsin birth records when records from the previous generation don't seem to corroborate this. Alexander LaPlante's oldest sibling was born in 1835 while he was born in 1848. The 1836 Chippewa and Ottawa Treaty coincided with the birth of Alexander's older sister. $150,000 was negotiated by the tribes for their half breed family members. It was widely covered in the news and fraudulent applications were received. I checked the 1836 Half Breed Payment Roll (those accepted) and didn't find any of KP's ancestors. Some people have tried to link a "Catherine Brodwine" as Alexander's mother...but none of the demographic information matches. I can't definitively explain the birth record anomaly, but the timing is interesting. I'd love it if someone can provide a more definitive answer. The Litte Chute Historical Society has more information about this line: https://littlechutehistory.org/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I423802&tree=lc

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Quotec) some information which just does not match up with the info and documentation I have

If KP has additional documentation that supports their claims, I will gladly request a NAFPS moderator move this thread to "Non Frauds."

The prior uploaded clips for the Idaho name change did not survive, so here is the information:

Case Information

CV-NC-2005-22164 | In The Matter Of The Application of Robert Russell Cayc Jones For A Change Of Name

Case Number
CV-NC-2005-22164

Court
Ada County Magistrate Court

Judicial Officer
Bieter, Christopher M.

File Date
08/24/2005

Case Type
A7- Name Change


03/07/2006 was Order for Change of Name

(I believe "Cayc" = "Cayce".)

Many survivors of Redwolf Pope believe that he will always be a predator.

https://www.underscore.news/justice/redwolf-pope-survivors-reclaim-power-in-courtroom/
....the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska say he is not an enrolled citizen. During the trial Pope changed his story and claimed that he learned his mom isn't Tlingit but comes from up north. Through the years, Pope has claimed to be a member of the Western Shoshone Tribe. There are several Shoshone tribes in America's west. Shoshone members also have said they've found no record of Pope's enrollment. Though it's unclear whether he has claimed citizenship to any particular tribe or lineage or familial connection to those tribes. Pope shared during his Jan. 7 sentencing in Seattle that he was disenrolled.

"He certainly built his reputation as somebody who was an activist. I don't think there's a strong likelihood he would not have had access to at least a few of our survivors if not for that," Cooney said. "It's also a big reason why we did go to that aggravator, that abuse of trust, that he was only able to perpetrate his offenses because of the position of trust that he built with everybody."

Cooney explained that the exceptional sentence was necessary because violence committed against those who trusted him. Cooney said he stripped his friends of an ability to trust those around them, and took away any sense of safety they are entitled to feel.

Another survivor who asked to remain anonymous shared with Underscore + ICT, "This is someone who was born into the thievery of Native cultures. This is why cultural appropriation is so dangerous and violent."

For Patricia Allen, nickname Chookenshaa, which means Glacier Bear Woman in Tlingit, Pope's false claims of Tlingit identity has caused her to question who in her community are actually Tlingit citizens. She is concerned about who can be trusted, especially men who called Pope "brother" that have been completely silent throughout the trial.

Allen met Pope about 14 years ago when she was around 21. She's now 35.

She said he was interwoven in her social scene, and involved in the academic, nonprofit, social justice and intertribal spaces. He claimed he was Tlingit. He also said he was from an Eagle Brown Bear Clan from the village of Yakutat. Allen is from an Eagle Black Bear Clan and in Tlingit culture if you're both from an Eagle clan, you're considered like siblings so she addressed him as an eagle brother.

"It makes me wonder just who's either complicit or who's been supporting [Pope]," Allen said. 

She believes that Pope harmed more people. Allen and many others that she knows have stayed over at Pope's residence in Seattle many times, thinking it was a safe place because Pope said he was sober, or on the Red Road.

[Added sections detailing his fraud. Those reading the link should be warned it contains descriptions of abuse and assault.-Al]

A survivor says she would not be surprised if there are hundreds of victims.

https://katv.com/criminally-obsessed/redwolf-pope-anne-emerson-priscilla-moreno-criminally-obsessed

At Youtube link you can access transcript too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9cEN25unGk&t=84s

Redwolf Pope is currently incarcerated at Coyote Ridge Corrections, Washington State DOC.

Quote from: educatedindian on April 14, 2026, 12:36:13 AMThe second link includes about NACTI. Basically a falling out between the two. NACTI was useful to TITN for ID cards, but kept trying to get money out of applicants. 100 a pop. Heres the old NACTI site. As you can see, its chapters were generally in areas without many NDNs.

https://web.archive.org/web/20250226211221/https://www.nativeamericanchurchofturtleisland.org/

The link is only partly clickable. When pasting the whole thing into the address field it is OK.

I imagine there may be mental health challenges in the mix here.

Gleaned from this recent video  https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AkDjXAz3N/ :

there is no such thing as corporations, they are corpse nations
no one who has children can sign a treaty
the earth is over-bred with zombies
most problems are caused by those who have died and then come back
the living and the dead are not supposed to mix, because that is how you get zombies
we are Cheyenne dogmen, not soldiers
the Cheyenne and Apaches are the first creators of the Algonquin language
the star nations are bad
star nations can't be sovereign unless they fight their own people
all you gotta do is die without children and you won't come back