Wexner, in his opening statement, defended those mentions by saying his relationship with Epstein was limited, and denied any knowledge of the convicted sex offender’s abuse.
“I was naive, foolish and gullible to put any trust in Jeffrey Epstein,” he said. “He was a conman. And while I was conned, I have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide.”
He said he was “pleased to testify” and wanted “to set the record straight”.
Wexner also said he had visited Epstein’s private island for “a few hours” with his family.
The pair’s relationship dates back to the 1980s and Wexner has said he cut ties after Epstein was accused of sexually abusing children in Florida.
Wexner said he later discovered Epstein “had misappropriated vast sums of money from me and my family”, a statement he repeated in his opening remarks.
The retail magnate was identified in a 2019 FBI document as a potential co-conspirator. A separate email also said there was “limited evidence regarding his involvement”.
Deputy US Attorney General Todd Blanche previously said Wexner’s name “appears in the files thousands of times”.
Wexner’s lawyers recently told the BBC: “The Assistant US Attorney told Mr Wexner’s legal counsel in 2019 that Mr Wexner was being viewed as source of information about Epstein and was not a target in any respect.
“Mr Wexner co-operated fully by providing background information on Epstein and was never contacted again.”