Published on: April 29, 2026, 07:07h.
Updated on: April 29, 2026, 07:13h.
- Two women who endured abuse at the hands of sex trafficker Nathan Chasing Horse have initiated a civil lawsuit against the Cannery and Santa Fe Station casinos, alleging that hotel personnel overlooked blatant evidence of trafficking and abuse for almost a decade.
- Chasing Horse — an actor known for his role in the 1990 film Dances With Wolves — was sentenced to life imprisonment last week following his conviction in January.
- The lawsuit claims that the local casinos benefited from Chasing Horse’s extended stays despite staff witnessing signs of physical harm and coercive control.
Two individuals are taking legal action against Boyd Gaming’s Cannery Casino and Station Casinos’ Santa Fe Station in Las Vegas, asserting that they survived nearly ten years of exploitation by convicted sex trafficker Nathan Chasing Horse, thanks to the properties’ complicity and financial gain from his activities.
The plaintiffs, referred to as M.L. and C.L., lodged the civil case in Nevada state court on April 27, 2026, coinciding with the day Chasing Horse was sentenced to life for trafficking and sexual abuse. The complaint alleges that they were victimized within the casinos from 2014 to 2022, as employees failed to act upon evident warning signs.
According to the lawsuit, Chasing Horse regularly booked multiple rooms at the casinos, often extending his stays while receiving complimentary benefits from the staff. It is claimed that these rooms became locations of repeated trafficking, with the women compelled to engage in sexual acts with multiple clients of Chasing Horse during each visit.
Legal representatives assert that the high level of foot traffic should have raised suspicions about criminal activity among hotel personnel.
The lawsuit further claims that the staff noticed bruising on the women, recognized their tired and terrified appearances, and observed their strict monitoring by Chasing Horse. Employees allegedly saw the women following him around the casino floors, restricted from speaking to staff or making eye contact.
In some reported instances, staff members acted as lookout for Chasing Horse, alerting him to police presence in the vicinity.
Despite these clear indicators, the lawsuit contends that neither casino took appropriate actions to report suspicious activities or safeguard the victims. It also accuses both casino establishments of neglecting to adopt or enforce anti-trafficking protocols, training, or reporting systems.
Chasing Time
Chasing Horse — a 50-year-old Native American actor who appeared in the 1990 film Dances With Wolves — was convicted in January on charges of trafficking and sexual abuse in Las Vegas, following a trial where jurors viewed a video presented by prosecutors that allegedly depicted him assaulting one of the victims while she was a minor.
Prosecutors characterized Chasing Horse as a self-proclaimed spiritual leader who exploited his group, termed “The Circle,” to manipulate and control Indigenous women and girls. The lawsuit reinforces these assertions, stating that the plaintiffs were coerced into believing that sexual acts were essential to their faith.
Legal counsel represents that Chasing Horse utilized threats, physical violence, isolation, and psychological manipulation to maintain dominance over the women, branding them — along with others — with a spider tattoo that would have been noticeable to hotel personnel.
The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for the extensive abuse they endured and for what they describe as a blatant disregard for trafficking signs by the casinos. The date for a hearing regarding the civil case has yet to be scheduled.