Sean Welch

Sean Welch testified for the prosecution on Day 8 as XR LLC's chief technology officer, authenticating ExtremeRestraints.com order records and product descriptions. Government Exhibits 851 through 866 were admitted without objection. He distinguished a May 26, 2017 order listing Daniela Bergeron, totaling $922.74, which shipped, from a May 28 order listing Daniela Padilla for billing and Alex Martin for shipping, totaling $1,730.90, which was canceled without shipment. He also read descriptions of restraint equipment, including cages, a shock collar, and suspension equipment.

Welch confirmed that the differently named invoices shared an address and telephone number, but that matching information did not establish who personally placed either order. He described mismatched billing and shipping information as the likely explanation for the second order's cancellation, not a confirmed cause. He acknowledged that customers could cancel orders and that additional information was unavailable after a company email-system change.

On cross-examination by Marc Agnifilo, Welch agreed that the products had substantial customer demand, that selling them was legal, and that purchasing them was legal to his knowledge. On redirect by Moira Penza, he described his familiarity with kink and BDSM communities as limited, emphasized the importance of consent, and explained that safe words allow participants to stop play. The court overruled a defense scope objection to a question about advance knowledge. On recross, Welch agreed that being locked in a cell or strapped to a bed could be consensual and accepted Agnifilo's characterization of consensual adult participation as legal and not inappropriate. Those answers addressed general possibilities, not whether any particular participant had consented.