U.S. prosecutors are reportedly recommending that the Department of Justice bring criminal charges against Boeing because of a violation of a settlement related to two fatal crashes.
The DOJ made the recommendation first reported by Reuters. It comes after the DOJ stated last month that Boeing had breached their obligations under a 2021 contract that shielded them from criminal prosecution for two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019. These crashes killed 346 people.
Boeing violated the agreement, according to the DOJ. This was due to its failure to “design, implement and enforce an ethics and compliance program to detect and prevent violations of U.S. Fraud laws across all of its operations.”
Boeing agreed to the agreement in 2021, and the DOJ stated that it would not prosecute Boeing as long as the company restructured its compliance procedures and provided regular reports. The company agreed to pay an additional $2.5 billion as part of the settlement.
The company stated previously that it received notice from the DOJ and that they “believe that [we] have honored the terms.”
The DOJ must decide by July 7 if it will file criminal charges against Boeing.
The report is released as the company, which has been in a tumultuous situation, faces intense scrutiny by U.S. prosecutors and regulators. This follows a panel blowing off an Alaska Airlines jet operated by its subsidiary.