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.

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.

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.