Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) reportedly faces serious criminal charges from the U.S. Justice Department related to two fatal 737 MAX crashes, with the department expected to offer Boeing a plea agreement, which includes a substantial financial penalty and the imposition of an independent monitor to oversee the company’s safety and compliance practices for three years.
The Justice Department’s offer is non-negotiable, giving Boeing until the end of the week to respond. Should Boeing decline the plea deal, prosecutors plan to bring the company to trial, reported Reuters.
The decision to charge Boeing comes after the company allegedly violated a 2021 agreement that shielded it from prosecution over the 2018 and 2019 crashes, which resulted in 346 deaths.
The plea agreement would ...