United States of America v. Philip Taylor Sobash

Nashville, Tennessee, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with sexual exploitation of a minor, while also admitting to sexually exploiting six other minors.

Between October 2018 and May 2019, Philip Taylor Sobash, age 35, of Austin, Texas, then a practicing physician, engaged in an online sexually explicit relationship with Minor Victim 1, who resided in the Middle District of Tennessee. This online relationship began after they connected on a dating website that facilitates “sugar daddy” relationships. After their communications moved to text message, Minor Victim 1 informed Sobash that she was 17 years old and sent him a photo of her driver’s license, which confirmed her age.

Sobash requested that Minor Victim 1 produce and send him sexually explicit images of herself and provided her thousands of dollars in cash and gifts to entice her to do so. Over the course of more than seven months, Minor Victim 1 sent hundreds of sexually explicit photos and videos to Sobash, most of which constituted child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

In addition to sexually exploiting Minor Victim 1, Sobash admitted to sexually exploiting six other minors, aged 16-17, between 2017 and 2020. At Sobash’s direction, Minor Victims 2 through 7 created CSAM and sent it to Sobash. Sobash distributed CSAM depicting Minor Victims 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6, resulting in those victims’ images being sold online under their names.


The FBI’s Child Exploitation Operational Unit is investigating the case.

The Defendant elected to plead guilty.

Sobash faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years of imprisonment and a maximum sentence of 30 years of imprisonment, and a fine of up to $250,000 when he is sentenced. He also is subject to forfeiture of property as alleged in the indictment.