Survivors Sue Las Vegas Casinos for Allegedly Enabling Nathan Chasing Horse Sex Trafficking

The civil complaint alleges hotel staff ignored visible warning signs of trafficking at two Las Vegas properties over nearly a decade.

Two women who say they were sex trafficked inside Las Vegas hotel-casinos have filed a federal civil lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, alleging that Boyd Gaming Corporation and Station Casinos, LLC knowingly benefited from and enabled the trafficking activities of convicted sex offender Nathan Chasing Horse between approximately 2014 and 2022.

Federal Lawsuit Targets Cannery Casino and Santa Fe Station

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday by law firms Andreozzi + Foote and co-counsel The 702 Firm, names Boyd Gaming Corporation — which owned and operated The Cannery Casino & Hotel — Cannery Hotel and Casino, LLC, and Station Casinos, LLC, which operated the Santa Fe Station Hotel and Casino, as defendants. The complaint also lists additional unidentified corporate defendants identified as 'Roe Corporations I–X.'

The two survivors are identified in the complaint only by their initials. According to the filing, both women were trafficked at the named properties over a period of years and were forced into commercial sex acts with multiple buyers while under the close control of Chasing Horse.

Allegations Against the Hotel Properties

The complaint alleges that the hotels ignored clear warning signs and allowed the trafficking to continue by repeatedly renting rooms and enabling the trafficker's operation. Hotel staff is accused of failing to intervene despite visible signs of distress from the victims, and of interacting with Chasing Horse and offering him gifts to keep him at their properties.

Among the specific allegations, the lawsuit states that victims were visibly branded with a spider tattoo that would have been observable to hotel staff. The complaint contends that these and other indicators of trafficking were present and repeated over a span of years, yet no action was taken to stop the exploitation.

Chasing Horse's Conviction and Sentencing

Nathan Chasing Horse was convicted in January 2026 on charges stemming from sex trafficking and sexual abuse. He was sentenced this week to 37 years to life in prison.

According to the complaint, Chasing Horse exploited his position as a self-proclaimed spiritual leader within the Lakota community to manipulate and control victims, using coercion, isolation, and threats of violence to force them into commercial sex acts.

Legal Basis and Attorneys' Statements

The lawsuit was brought under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, which allows survivors to pursue civil claims against entities that knowingly benefit from participation in a trafficking venture. The suit also brings claims of negligence, gross negligence, and recklessness.

Alex Marcinko, the Andreozzi + Foote attorney handling the case, stated that while Chasing Horse has been held criminally accountable, the lawsuit focuses on the role that businesses may have played in allowing the trafficking to continue. Marcinko added that the complaint alleges clear and repeated signs of trafficking were present over a period of years, and that when businesses fail to recognize and act on those warning signs, it can create an environment where exploitation continues unchecked.

The survivors are seeking accountability from the hotel-casinos that allegedly enabled the trafficking, as well as recognition of the physical, emotional, and psychological harm they say they endured.

What we know

• Two survivors filed a federal civil lawsuit on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada against Boyd Gaming Corporation and Station Casinos, LLC.
• The lawsuit was filed by law firms Andreozzi + Foote and co-counsel The 702 Firm on behalf of two survivors identified by their initials.
• The complaint names The Cannery Casino & Hotel and the Santa Fe Station Hotel and Casino as properties where trafficking allegedly occurred.
• The survivors were allegedly trafficked at the properties between approximately 2014 and 2022.
• Nathan Chasing Horse was convicted in January 2026 on sex trafficking and sexual abuse charges and was sentenced to 37 years to life in prison.
• The complaint alleges victims were visibly branded with a spider tattoo that would have been observable to hotel staff.
• The lawsuit was brought under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, along with claims of negligence, gross negligence, and recklessness.
• The complaint alleges hotel staff interacted with Chasing Horse and offered him gifts to keep him at their properties.

Why it matters

The lawsuit places two prominent Las Vegas gaming companies — Boyd Gaming and Station Casinos — at the center of a federal civil trafficking case, alleging their properties served as venues for exploitation spanning nearly a decade. The case tests the reach of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act against hospitality businesses and could set a precedent for how Nevada hotel-casinos are held accountable for trafficking activity occurring on their premises. For Las Vegas, a city whose tourism economy depends heavily on its casino-hotel industry, the outcome carries significant legal and reputational implications.

What’s next

The civil case will proceed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. The complaint names additional unidentified corporate defendants listed as 'Roe Corporations I–X,' leaving open the possibility that further defendants could be identified as the litigation advances. Nathan Chasing Horse, sentenced this week to 37 years to life in prison following his January 2026 conviction, is not a defendant in the civil suit.

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