The FTC with Greenberg in January of this year, with Greenberg banned from owning any Internet businesses that handle credit or debit accounts. The settlement also imposed a monetary judgment of nearly $2.1 million, although Greenberg had filed for bankruptcy before the settlement.

Many of the DOJ complaints "were handled previously" in the FTC case, said Greenberg lawyer Leo Kimmel. "My client denies having defrauded anyone."

It's uncommon for the DOJ to bring criminal charges after the FTC settles a civil case against a defendant.

Greenberg faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charges.

The charges were brought in coordination with President Barack Obama's Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, established in November 2009 to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from several federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement.