(COVER PHOTO: Jose Luis Magana/AP via CNN Newsource)

By Em Steck, CNN

(CNN) — Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime employee and attorney Darren Indyke testified on Thursday that he “had no knowledge whatsoever” of the convicted sex offender’s wrongdoing and rejected “any suggestion” he assisted or facilitated his former boss’ crimes, according to a copy of his opening statement.

“Had I known that he was abusing or trafficking women, I would have quit working for him at once and severed all ties to him,” Indyke said in an opening statement to the House Oversight Committee, a copy of which CNN obtained. “The truth is that I did not know what Mr. Epstein did after hours, behind closed doors, and in places where I was not present.”

Indyke, one of Epstein’s longest-serving employees, worked as an attorney for him for more than 20 years on corporate, transactional and general legal services. He described the work as a consulting role for “entirely legitimate purposes.”

Lawmakers are seeking answers on that work and his knowledge of Epstein’s financial dealings. The testimony occurred behind closed doors, though lawmakers are expected to release a video later.

In his opening statement, Indyke pushed back on allegations that he withdrew thousands of dollars in cash on Epstein’s behalf to avoid triggering bank suspicions. He said the cash was not used for “any improper purposes.”

Police investigators found that Epstein often paid young girls and women between $200 and $300 — payments that the women said came after he abused them under the guise of performing massages in the mid-2000s.

Indyke also categorically denied that he helped coerce young women into same-sex “sham marriages” with each other to circumvent immigration, calling it “100% untrue.”

These allegations were made in a 2024 class-action civil lawsuit filed by Epstein victims against Indyke and his fellow co-executor of Epstein’s estate, Richard Kahn. The suit alleged that the two were facilitators in Epstein’s sex trafficking operation and “were also integral in allowing Epstein to escape justice for years by concealing his litany of crimes.” The pair strongly denied the allegations. Recently, the estate agreed to settle the lawsuit for up to $35 million but admitted no wrongdoing. The court preliminarily approved the settlement earlier this month.

Addressing the committee, Indyke also said that after Epstein was convicted in 2008 on state charges of soliciting prostitution from a minor, his former boss appeared “devastated and extremely contrite.”

“He was adamant that he had no idea anyone involved was underage, and personally assured me he would never again let himself be in that position. I believed him, and I made the mistake of believing Mr. Epstein that he would not again commit a crime.”

“I deeply regret doing so. Most importantly, I feel horrible for those women whom Mr. Epstein abused,” said Indyke.

Indyke pointed to his work as a co-executor of Epstein’s estate, which has cooperated with the committee’s requests for evidence and material. The estate also established a restitution program for Epstein victims, called the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program, which doled out $121 million to 136 women. The estate has also settled multiple civil lawsuits filed by victims and agreed to pay $48 million to an additional 59 women.