A United States judge has abruptly set a June 23 trial date in the Department of Justice’s criminal fraud case against Boeing stemming from the plane maker’s alleged misrepresentations to US regulators about a key system on the 737 MAX.
In July, Boeing agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge after two fatal 737 MAX crashes, and to pay a fine of up to $487.2m. US District Judge Reed O’Connor had previously given Boeing and the Justice Department until April 11 to come to an agreement on a new plea deal after he rejected the prior deal, faulting a diversity and inclusion provision.