 This is Washington's Top News. WTOP News. Facts Matter. 823. Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two deadly crashes of 737 MAX jetliners. The plea deal must receive the approval of a federal judge to take effect. The Justice Department says the government determined that Boeing violated an agreement that had protected it from prosecution for more than three years, deceiving regulators. For the aircraft maker, the choice was a guilty plea,