Former Apollo Global Management CEO Leon Black on Friday told a House committee that late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein swindled him out of more than $60 million in financial advisory fees by falsely claiming that they were tax-deductible.

Appearing voluntarily before the House Oversight Committee, Black sought to distance himself from Epstein's criminal conduct, insisting he never participated in or knew about the disgraced financier's sex-trafficking operation and regretted ever doing business with him.

"I come here today voluntarily to set the record straight about my relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and, in particular, why I paid him the money I did," Black said in his opening statement, which was obtained by Newsmax.

He said Epstein falsely convinced him that the fees he charged were effectively "60-cent dollars" because they could be deducted for tax purposes, only for Black to later discover he had paid the full $158 million.

"What I believed to be $95 million of net fees paid to him over five years was actually $158 million," Black said. "That assurance was false."

He said the deception ultimately cost him more than $60 million.

Black described Epstein as having a "Jekyll and Hyde" personality, saying he first met him in the mid-1990s when Epstein sat on the boards of prominent organizations and maintained relationships with influential business, political, and academic figures.

Black said he relied on Epstein for tax, estate-planning, and family-office advice before severing ties in 2018.

"With hindsight, I now see that Epstein exaggerated, embellished, manipulated, and outright lied," Black said. "I knew Jekyll. I didn't know Hyde."

Black also emphatically denied allegations that he abused women, trafficked minors, paid Epstein for access to women, or was blackmailed by him.

"I have never abused a woman. I have never been with an underage woman. I have never engaged in sex trafficking. I have never paid Epstein for access to women," he said.

The testimony comes as Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., expands the committee's investigation into Epstein's network and the federal government's handling of the case.

Before Friday's closed-door interview, Comer called Black's appearance potentially "the most groundbreaking deposition" of the investigation, citing "concerning" survivor statements and documents while stressing Black deserved due process.

"The purpose of our investigation is to get the truth to the American people and determine how the government failed the survivors by not prosecuting Epstein sooner," Comer told reporters.

He added that committee investigators have "hundreds and hundreds of questions" about financial transactions, emails, bank records, and communications tied to Epstein.

Black repeatedly cited the independent 2021 Dechert report, which concluded he paid Epstein $158 million for legitimate tax and estate-planning services, found Apollo Global Management never retained Epstein, and determined Black had no knowledge of Epstein's criminal activities.

Black said he hopes his testimony will finally allow his family to move forward after years of scrutiny.