Horrified passengers watch as flames shoot out from an engine of a Boeing 737 on a Malaysia Airlines flight to India, Thursday, June 20, 2024. (Photo credit: Viral Press)
US prosecutors have reportedly recommended that the Department of Justice (DOJ) bring criminal charges against Boeing for violating settlements related to two fatal crashes.
The recommendation, first reported by Reuters, comes after the Justice Department said last month that Boeing had violated a 2021 agreement that gave the company immunity from criminal prosecution over two 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.
Boeing’s regional headquarters is pictured amid the COVID-19 pandemic on April 29, 2020, in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo: Olivier D’Uglier/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Department of Justice The company said Boeing breached the agreement by “failing to design, implement and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of U.S. fraud laws throughout its business activities.”
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Under the 2021 agreement, the Justice Department said it would not prosecute Boeing as long as the company reviewed its compliance practices and submitted periodic reports. The company also agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle the investigation.
The new Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner rolls down the runway during its maiden flight at Charleston International Airport in North Charleston, South Carolina, USA, March 31, 2017. (REUTERS/Randall Hill/REUTERS)
Boeing declined to comment when contacted by FOX Business. The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
The company previously told Fox Business it had been notified by the Department of Justice and “believes it has honored the terms.”
The Justice Department has until July 7 to decide whether to file criminal charges against Boeing.
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The report comes as the embattled airline faces intense scrutiny from U.S. prosecutors, regulators and lawmakers after a committee of investigators determined one of its jets was blown up in early January.
FOX Business’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Reuters contributed to this report.
