GM's $900 million accord with U.S. gets judge's approval

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday signed off on General Motors Co's agreement to pay the U.S. Justice Department $900 million to settle criminal charges related to the company's concealment of a lethal defect in its vehicle ignition switches.

U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan said she would approve the Detroit-based automaker's deferred prosecution agreement, which resolved the criminal probe into a defect that has been linked to 124 deaths.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond; Writing by Joseph Ax; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)