The Department of Justice (DOJ) is preparing to offer Boeing a plea deal in a criminal case over two fatal crashes involving the company’s 737 Max jetliners, according to lawyers representing the families of the crash victims.
Paul Cassell, a lawyer for the families of the 15 people killed in the Boeing 737 Max jetliner crashes in 2018 and 2019, told The Hill that the proposed settlement would include a roughly $244 million fine, three years of probation and oversight by an outside observer. A total of 346 people died in the crashes.
Casell said the agreement, discussed in a call with the families on Sunday afternoon, also includes new investments in safety improvements and meetings between Boeing’s board of directors and the victims’ families.
Mr. Cassell said his team was told they would propose a deal to Boeing as soon as the conference call ended on Sunday. Mr. Cassell slammed the Justice Department’s proposal as a “sweet deal.”
“This plea agreement makes no admission that Boeing’s crimes cost 346 lives and appears to be based on the notion that Boeing did not harm the victims,” Cassell said in a statement. “The families will vigorously oppose this plea agreement.”
“The memory of the 346 innocent people murdered by Boeing demands no more justice,” he added.
Boeing has until the end of the week to decide whether to accept or reject the offer. The Associated Press reported.He said, citing several people involved in a conference call with federal prosecutors on Sunday.
The Justice Department and Boeing did not immediately respond to The Hill’s requests for comment.
The criminal case comes after authorities determined Boeing violated a 2021 settlement related to two fatal crashes that absolved the company from criminal charges for fraud in exchange for a promise to overhaul its compliance regime and pay a $2.5 billion fine.
Reuters Reported last week Justice Department prosecutors had recommended criminal charges against Boeing for violating the terms of the settlement.
The potential plea deal came about a week before the July 7 deadline for deciding whether to indict the aerospace giant.
Boeing released a statement to The Hill last month saying it believes it remains in compliance with the agreement.
“We believe we have respected the terms of the agreement and look forward to the opportunity to respond to the Department of Defense on this matter,” the company said.
Cassell added that if the plea agreement goes through, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor will not be able to increase the sentence or impose additional penalties on Boeing’s convictions.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun, who was grilled by senators earlier this month about the settlement and other safety concerns during a Homeland Security Committee hearing last week, apologized to the families of the crash victims.
“On behalf of everyone at Boeing, I personally apologize and am deeply saddened by your loss. Nothing is more important than the safety of the people who fly on our aircraft, and every day we strive to honor the memory of those we lost through our unwavering commitment to safety and quality,” Calhoun said.
The next day, a group of families sent a letter to the Justice Department calling on federal prosecutors to pursue “aggressive criminal prosecutions” against the plane maker.
“Boeing’s crimes are the worst corporate crimes in American history, and a maximum fine of more than $24 billion is legally justified and clearly appropriate, although the fine may be partially suspended if the funds are used to invest in adequate quality control and safety measures,” Cassell wrote on behalf of the victims’ families.
Boeing is facing renewed scrutiny after a door on one of its 737 Max 9 planes blew off in flight last January.
The explosion blew a hole in the side of the plane, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing at Portland International Airport in Oregon. The Federal Aviation Administration suspended operations of all 737 MAX 9 planes and investigated the manufacturer, finding problems with safety inspections and manufacturing at Boeing’s manufacturing process, leading to increased pressure from regulators and Congress to address the problems.
