LAS VEGAS, Nevada: The sentencing of "Dances With Wolves" actor Nathan Chasing Horse, convicted of sexually assaulting Indigenous women and girls, has been delayed by a week.

The sentencing, which had been scheduled for March 11, has now been moved to March 18, after Judge Jessica Peterson agreed to the delay.

Chasing Horse became known for playing Smiles a Lot in Dances With Wolves, the Oscar-winning movie starring Kevin Costner. Born on the Rosebud Reservation, he later traveled across Native American communities to attend powwows and hold healing ceremonies.

The sentencing comes almost a month after a jury in Nevada found Chasing Horse guilty of 13 out of 21 charges. Most of the charges were related to his abuse of a girl who was 14 when he first assaulted her.

While he was cleared of some sexual assault charges, he still faces at least 25 years in prison.

The sentencing ends a long effort to prosecute the former actor, who was first arrested and charged in 2023. His arrest caused strong reactions across Native American communities, often called Indian Country, and led police in other U.S. states and Canada to file additional charges.

After the trial, his lawyer, Craig Mueller, asked for a new trial. He argued that one witness was not qualified to speak about grooming and that the legal time limit for the case had already passed. The court rejected this request.

The British Columbia Prosecution Service said Chasing Horse was charged with sexual assault in February 2023 for an incident that allegedly happened in September 2018 near Keremeos, about four hours east of Vancouver. The case was paused in November 2023 because of his charges in the United States, but resumed the following year.

The Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service in Alberta also said there is still an active warrant for his arrest and that it is working with the Alberta Crown Prosecutor's Office on the case.

Prosecutors in Nevada said Chasing Horse used his reputation as a Lakota medicine man to target Indigenous women and girls. Deputy District Attorney Bianca Pucci told the jury that for nearly 20 years, he created a long pattern of abuse that affected many women.

Jurors heard testimony from three women who said he sexually assaulted them, and the jury found him guilty on some charges related to all three.

Several victims said they either joined his ceremonies or went to him for medical help.

The main accuser said she was 14 in 2012 when Chasing Horse told her that spirits wanted her to lose her virginity to save her mother, who had cancer. Prosecutors said he then sexually assaulted her and warned that her mother would die if she told anyone. According to prosecutors, the abuse continued for several years.

Chasing Horse denied the accusations. His lawyer questioned the credibility of the main accuser and described her as a "scorned woman."