Lawsuit Accuses Las Vegas Hotels of Enabling Sex Trafficking

^{Former actor Nathan Chasing Horse was found guilty of trafficking and sexual abuse in Las Vegas back in January. (Photo: Ty O'Neil / AP / Alamy)}

A civil lawsuit filed in Nevada on Monday accuses two Las Vegas casino-hotels of allegedly failing to prevent sex trafficking on their properties over the course of several years.

The lawsuit, filed by attorneys on behalf of two plaintiffs identified only as M.L. and C.L., names Boyd Gaming’s Cannery Casino and Hotel and Station Casinos’ Santa Fe Station as the primary defendants.

Lawsuit: Hotels Ignored Clear Signs of Trafficking

The lawsuit alleges that both venues enabled sex trafficking conducted by Nathan Chasing Horse, who was sentenced to 37 years to life in prison on Monday for sexually assaulting two victims. Chasing Horse is best known for playing the character Smiles a Lot in the movie “Dances with Wolves.”

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs allege that staff at both hotels observed signs of sex trafficking, including men constantly coming and going from rooms, visible bruising on the women, and the fact that the women were visibly tired and afraid. The lawsuit claims that the plaintiffs were not allowed to make contact with or speak to hotel employees.

The lawsuit says that Chasing Horse would rent multiple rooms at the time, and did so repeatedly at both properties. He allegedly forced the plaintiffs to have sex with multiple men during each of these stays.

The women accuse both properties of failing to properly implement anti-trafficking policies. The lawsuit further alleges that the casino-hotels profited from room rentals, had staff serve as lookouts for Chasing Horse, and even gave him complimentary gifts to keep him at their hotels. According to the lawsuit, these allegations span a period from 2014 through 2022.

“People like Nathan Chasing Horse don’t operate in a vacuum,” attorney Alex Marcinko, who is representing the plaintiffs, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal via a phone interview. “What he was allowed to do to these women and many other women was only capable of being done because these hotels allowed it to continue going on despite obvious signs.”

Chasing Horse Found Guilty of Trafficking, Sexual Abuse

Chasing Horse was convicted of trafficking and sexual abuse by a Las Vegas jury in January before being sentenced on Monday. Jurors found Chasing Horse guilty on 13 of 21 counts he was facing.

In the trial – as well as in the civil lawsuit – authorities have claimed that Chasing Horse used his position as a spiritual healer in the Lakota tribe to exercise control over his victims. That including forcing the victims to perform sex acts as part of “The Circle,” Chasing Horse’s sect in the Lakota Tribe.

According to multiple media reports, Boyd Gaming and Station Casinos have declined to comment on the litigation.