U.S. prosecutors are recommending that senior Justice Department officials bring criminal charges against Boeing after finding that the plane maker violated a settlement related to two fatal crashes, two people familiar with the matter said.
The Justice Department must decide by July 7 whether to prosecute Boeing. The recommendation from prosecutors handling the case has not previously been reported. In May, officials determined the company had violated a 2021 agreement that had shielded Boeing from a criminal charge of conspiracy to commit fraud stemming from two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 involving the 737 MAX plane.
Under the 2021 deal, the Justice Department agreed not to prosecute Boeing over allegations that it defrauded the Federal Aviation Administration as long as the company scrutinized its compliance practices and filed regular reports. Boeing also agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle the investigation.
