A Boeing spokesperson confirmed to the media that the firm had “reached an agreement in principle on terms of a resolution with the Justice Department.”
The deal avoids a trial for the plane-maker, which was demanded by the families of the victims. However, it would make Boeing a convicted felon, which could complicate the acquisition of contracts with US government agencies such as the Department of Defense and NASA.
In 2021, Boeing agreed to pay over $2.5 billion, including the original $243.6 million fine, as part of a deferred-prosecution deal with the Department of Justice after the company admitted to deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about an obscure flight control system linked to the crashes. In both cases, faulty sensor readings caused 737 MAX 8 jets to enter a nosedive. If the company had complied with the deal, the charge would have been dropped after a period of three year.
