LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Steven Rattner, the leader of the Obama administration's auto task force, was one of the executives involved with payments under scrutiny in a probe of an alleged kickback scheme at New York state's pension fund, The Wall Street Journal reported late Thursday, citing a person familiar with the matter.

A Securities and Exchange Commission complaint says a "senior executive" of Rattner's investment firm met with a politically connected consultant about a finder's fee, the report said. The firm subsequently received an investment from the state pension fund, then paid a $1.1 million fee, it cited the complaint as saying.