DOJ says Boeing may be criminally liable for 737 Max deaths

Boeing violated a 2021 agreement that protected it from criminal prosecution after two 737 Max disasters abroad killed 346 people, the Justice Department told a federal judge in a lawsuit on Tuesday.

According to the Justice Department, Boeing failed “to design, implement and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of U.S. fraud laws in its operations.”

The government has not yet decided whether to pursue Boeing’s prosecution, but attorneys representing the families of those killed in the crash said they hope for further action.

“This is a positive first step, and it will take a long time for the families. But we need to see further action from the DOJ to hold Boeing accountable, and plan to use our May 31 meeting to explain in more detail what we believe would be a satisfactory resolution to Boeing’s ongoing criminal conduct.” , said Paul Cassell, attorney for the victims. families and a law professor at the University of Utah College of Law, said in a statement.

Boeing acknowledged taking note of the decision and said it planned to respond.

“We can confirm that we have today received a notice from the Department of Justice stating that the Department has determined that we have not complied with our obligations under our 2021 Deferred Prosecution Agreement and requesting response from the company” , Boeing told USA TODAY. rack.

“We believe that we have complied with the terms of that agreement and look forward to the opportunity to respond to the Department on this matter. As we do this, we will work with the Ministry with the utmost transparency, as we have done throughout the term. of the agreement, including in response to their questions following the Alaska Airlines 1282 accident.”

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Government officials plan to meet with the crash victims on May 31 and have instructed Boeing to respond to the request by June 13. The ministry will let the court know by July 7 how it plans to proceed, which could lead to criminal charges against the company.

The jet manufacturer is under increased scrutiny from regulators and lawmakers this year after the latest grounding of its 737 Max jets. In January, an Alaska Airlines 737 Max lost a door plug during a flight. Although the incident caused no serious injuries or deaths, the Federal Aviation Administration quickly grounded the fleet of 737 Max jets with the same type of door plug, and regulators began new investigations into Boeing’s manufacturing practices.

Passengers on the Alaska Airlines flight later received letters from the FBI informing them that they may have been the victims of a crime.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at [email protected]

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