AUSTIN, Texas
A former Austin physician was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release for sexually exploiting minors, federal authorities announced Wednesday.
Philip Taylor Sobash was sentenced for his role in exploiting seven teenage victims between 2017 and 2020, according to court documents.
Quick Fact List:
• Philip Taylor Sobash, 36, of Austin, Texas, sentenced to 30 years in federal prison
• Convicted of sexually exploiting seven minor victims between 2017 and 2020
• Met victims through “sugar daddy” dating websites
• Provided cash and gifts in exchange for sexually explicit images
• Distributed child sexual abuse material of five victims online
• Investigation led by FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit
• Sentence includes five years of supervised release following prison term
Between October 2018 and May 2019, Sobash engaged in an online sexually explicit relationship with a 17-year-old victim from Tennessee.
The relationship began after they connected on a dating website that facilitates “sugar daddy” relationships. After moving their communications to text message, the victim informed Sobash of her age and sent him a photo of her driver’s license to confirm it.
Sobash requested sexually explicit images from the victim and provided thousands of dollars in cash and gifts to entice her. Over more than seven months, he received hundreds of sexually explicit photos and videos from the victim, which constituted child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Sobash admitted to sexually exploiting six other minors, ages 16 and 17, during the same period. At his direction, these victims created CSAM that they sent to him. Sobash distributed CSAM depicting five of the victims, resulting in those images being sold online under their names.
The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit investigated the case with assistance from FBI Nashville, Clarksville Resident Agency, and the U.S. Secret Service.