LAS VEGAS, Nevada: Nathan Chasing Horse, who acted in "Dances With Wolves", was sentenced this week by a Nevada judge to life in prison for sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls.

A jury had already found him guilty of 13 charges, mostly involving sexual assault against three women.

The victims and their families told Judge Jessica Peterson that they are still dealing with trauma caused by Chasing Horse, 49. They said they are also struggling with their faith because he abused his role as a spiritual leader.

One victim, Corena Leone-LaCroix, said she lost important parts of her childhood after he assaulted her at age 14. She said she can never get back experiences like her youth, first love, or graduation, and that the life she could have lived was taken away from her.

Chasing Horse, wearing a navy-blue detention center uniform, looked straight ahead and remained silent while the victims spoke. He was then taken out of the courtroom. He will be eligible for parole after 37 years and has continued to deny the charges.

He told the judge that the case was a miscarriage of justice.

Judge Peterson said she was troubled that he still denied the charges despite the evidence presented at trial. She said he had taken advantage of the women's trust and spirituality for his own benefit before announcing the sentence. After the hearing ended, more than a dozen people in the courtroom applauded.

The sentencing ends a case that took several years to bring to court after his arrest in 2023. That arrest had a wide impact across Indigenous communities, leading to more charges in other U.S. states and in Canada, which are still ongoing.

In Canada, prosecutors in British Columbia charged him with sexual assault in February 2023 over an alleged incident in September 2018 near Keremeos, a village east of Vancouver. The case was paused in November 2023 due to the U.S. trial, but was restarted the following year.

Officials in British Columbia said they will decide the next steps after all of his appeals in the U.S. are finished.

Police in Alberta also said there is still an active warrant for his arrest and that they are in contact with prosecutors.