Boeing may be Prosecuted after Breaking Safety Agreement that Prevented Criminal Charges for 737 Crashes, US DOJ Says – Evan Perez 5/15/24

Source: CNN.com

The US Justice Department on Tuesday notified Boeing that it breached terms of its 2021 agreement in which the company avoided criminal charges for two fatal 737 Max crashes.

After a series of safety missteps earlier this year, including a door plug that blew off an Alaska Airlines flight shortly after takeoff in January, the Department of Justice said Boeing is now subject to criminal prosecution.

“For failing to fulfill completely the terms of and obligations under the [deferred prosecution agreement], Boeing is subject to prosecution by the United States for any federal criminal violation of which the United States has knowledge,” the Justice Department said in a letter to US District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, who oversaw the prior agreement.

The Biden administration said in its letter that it has not yet determined how it will proceed, however, and Boeing will have an opportunity to respond to its breach of the agreement – and steps it has taken to remediate the situation – by June 13. It will let the court know by July 7 how it will proceed with the case.

Boeing, in a statement, said it has upheld its end of the bargain….

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