Key Takeaways Boeing has reportedly reached a tentative deal with the Justice Department to avoid a guilty plea for violating a criminal settlement.The aircraft manufacturer had agreed to plead guilty to a fraud charge in July of last year amid investigations into the company's safety and production practices.

The Justice Department may drop its criminal prosecution of Boeing for allegedly misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed and killed 346 people, according to a weekend court filing.

The US Justice Department told a federal judge in Texas it hasn’t decided whether to enter into an agreement with Boeing Co. that would drop a criminal charge related to two fatal 737 Max crashes, and that federal prosecutors are giving the families of victims another chance to weigh in.