DOJ Ends Felony Case Against Boeing Over Crashes

The New York Times reports:

Boeing reached a deal with the Justice Department on Friday that would spare the company from taking criminal responsibility for a pair of deadly 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. Under the deal, which was staunchly opposed by many families of the victims of the fatal crashes, Boeing would admit to obstructing federal oversight, pay a fine, contribute to a fund for the families and invest in safety and quality programs.

The deal is the latest twist in a yearslong legal saga over the crashes, dating back to the final days of the first Trump administration. It reverses a different deal reached last summer, in which Boeing had agreed with the Justice Department under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to plead guilty to a felony charge of conspiring to defraud the Federal Aviation Administration.

Under the deal, Boeing would be required to invest about $455 million in quality and safety programs, and pay about $445 million into a compensation fund for beneficiaries of the 346 people who died in the pair of crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in late 2018 and early 2019. The company would also be fined $487 million, half of which it would receive credit for after an earlier fine payment.

Read the full article.

In return for $1.1B in payments, DOJ agreed to end its Biden-era felony case against Boeing in connection with crashes that killed 346 people.

[image or embed]

— Politico (@politico.com) May 23, 2025 at 3:28 PM