A U.S. judge on Tuesday abruptly set a June 23 trial date in the Justice Department's criminal fraud case against Boeing stemming from the planemaker's alleged misrepresentations to U.S. regulators about a key system on the 737 MAX.

A federal judge has set a trial date in the ongoing criminal fraud case against Boeing stemming from two fatal 737 MAX crashes six years ago.

The federal judge overseeing the criminal case against Boeing has ordered a trial, increasing the odds the aerospace giant will have to plead guilty or defend against a charge it already said it committed.