The US Department of Justice informed lawyers representing the families of the victims of two deadly Boeing 737 Max air crashes last month that Boeing had violated the agreement reached with the government in 2021. However, the Department of Justice has not yet decided whether to bring criminal charges against Boeing.
According to Bloomberg, Glenn Leon, head of the Fraud Section at the Department of Justice, wrote in an email sent to the lawyers on Friday (June 21) that the department has “not yet made a decision” on what action to take against Boeing.
The email stated, “We will continue to notify you, your clients, and other victims of significant case decisions.”
Relatives of the victims of the two Boeing 737 MAX plane crashes demanded action from the US Department of Justice on Wednesday (June 19), calling for fines of up to $24.78 billion to be imposed on Boeing and for criminal prosecution.
In May, the Department of Justice stated in a court filing that Boeing had violated obligations in a deferred prosecution agreement reached in 2021, which shielded Boeing from criminal prosecution for the crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.
Since early 2023, the aircraft manufacturer has faced production and quality control issues with its commercial planes, as well as flight accidents. For example, on January 5 this year, a door in the cabin of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft burst and detached shortly after takeoff, exposing ongoing safety and quality concerns at Boeing.
The original deferred prosecution agreement required Boeing to enhance internal controls to detect and prevent fraudulent behavior.
Last week, Boeing disputed the findings of the Department of Justice’s investigation, claiming it did not violate the agreement. The Department of Justice must now decide by July 7 whether to proceed with the case as a criminal matter or potentially negotiate a new agreement with Boeing, which may include oversight by an independent monitor.
The New York Times cited sources who said that the Department of Justice is expected to reach a new agreement with the company earlier on Friday, including the appointment of a monitor. The report was later revised to indicate that prosecutors had not made a final decision, but did not rule out the possibility of charging Boeing or negotiating a potential plea deal.