July 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department is examining whether German payment company Wirecard AG played a critical role in an alleged $100 million bank-fraud conspiracy connected to an online marijuana marketplace, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
Two businessmen have already been charged in the alleged fraud, accused of conspiring with third-party payment processors and others to trick U.S. banks into approving credit-card payments for marijuana products, the report said, citing people familiar with the investigation. (on.wsj.com/38FTl6V)
A spokesman for the Justice Department declined to comment “at this time,” while Wirecard did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. (Reporting by Shanti S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Aditya Soni)
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