an airlinerThe U.S. Justice Department says Boeing has agreed to plead blameworthy to a criminal fraud complaint stemming from nan crashes of 2 737 Max jets successful 2018 and 2019. Boeing assembles its 737s astatine its mill successful Renton, Wash. (Jennifer Buchanan/Pool photograph by Seattle Times via Getty Images)

The U.S. Justice Department says Boeing has accepted a woody to plead blameworthy to a criminal fraud complaint stemming from the crashes of 2 737 Max jets in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.

In a late Sunday nighttime tribunal filing, nan DOJ said “the authorities and nan Boeing Company person reached an statement successful rule connected nan position of a projected plea agreement.”

As portion of nan deal, Boeing agrees to salary a $243.6 cardinal good – adding to a erstwhile $243 cardinal good nan institution already has paid. The level shaper will work together to put “at slightest $455 cardinal successful its compliance and information programs.” The institution will besides beryllium put connected probation and taxable to an independent compliance show for 3 years.

This woody follows an earlier statement betwixt nan DOJ and Boeing successful 2021, erstwhile nan institution promised to make information changes aft nan 2 overseas Max crashes. But prosecutors opportunity Boeing did not clasp up its extremity of nan deal. In May, nan national authorities said Boeing “breached its obligations” nether nan statement “by failing to design, implement, and enforce a compliance and morals programme to forestall and observe violations of nan U.S. fraud laws.”

That missive came conscionable a fewer months aft a door-plug sheet blew disconnected a 737 Max pitchy successful midair in January. The incident involved Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 sparked renewed scrutiny of Boeing’s operations by national regulators, arsenic good arsenic nan Justice Department.

Federal prosecutors had met respective times pinch family members of nan victims who person pushed for stiffer fines and much penalties for nan Boeing. In nan DOJ tribunal filing, nan authorities conceded that immoderate families “expressed their guidance to immoderate plea agreement” and to position of nan plea offer.

In a abstracted filing Sunday, attorneys for nan families opportunity they scheme to inquire a judge to cull this woody because it “unfairly makes concessions to Boeing that different criminal defendants would ne'er person and fails to clasp Boeing accountable for nan deaths of 346 persons.”

A tribunal proceeding astir nan woody could travel later this period successful a Texas national court.