Boeing Has Agreed To Plead Guilty in Fraud Case

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(ConservativeHub.com) – On Sunday, July 7, in a court filing, Boeing agreed to plead guilty to fraud related to the 737 Max jetliner criminal case, which involves two deadly plane crashes.

The Department of Justice noted that while the deal still needs to be approved by a federal judge, Boeing would under the agreement be paying a $487.2 million fine while investing at least $455 million to better the safety and compliance programs of the company. The filing was made in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

The agreement was reached only hours before the final deadline by which the company would have needed to respond to the offer in order to avoid a criminal trial. Boeing did not provide any further comments on the deal, according to The Hill.

The Department of Justice found close to two months ago that the company violated a 2021 settlement regarding two 737 Max jetliner crashes, one in 2018 and one in 2019, which had killed 346 people. 

In 2021, prosecutors alleged that the company had committed conspiracy to defraud the government by attempting to mislead regulators regarding a flight-control system that had been deployed when the two crashes occurred. In the 2021 settlement, it was decided that the Justice Department would not prosecute Boeing for three years. However, in May it was found that the company had violated the agreement’s terms.

Apart from the investment requirements and fines, Boeing is also going to be independently monitored for its safety and quality procedures for the upcoming three years.

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