It seems like Boeing was destined for a court date after its plea deal collapsed in the fraud case over the aftermath of the two fatal 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019. However, the federal government will do whatever it takes to ensure the aviation giant doesn’t face a judge. The Department of Justice filed a tentative nonprosecution agreement with Boeing on Saturday. The crash victims’ families are appalled that Boeing will no longer have to plead guilty while dodging prosecution yet again.
The DOJ outlined the new agreement with the victims’ families in an over two-hour meeting on Friday, according to Reuters. While the agency has yet to officially commit to the deal, the family’s lawyers were adamant that the DOJ had already decided not to go to trial. Boeing would have to pay an additional $444.5 million into a victims’ fund. The planemaker initially paid $500 million in 2021. The fund is split equally between the families of 346 people killed in the two crashes, so the astronomical sum amounts to roughly $2.73 million each. Sanjiv Singh, a lawyer representing the families, said to the Guardian:
“We are appalled by this sudden possible retreat from criminal prosecution of Boeing. A non-prosecution agreement is morally repugnant and lacks the teeth and bite to cause fundamental change in Boeing’s safety practices.”
The White House giving white glove treatment to Boeing
Boeing pleaded guilty last year to a single count of criminal fraud for deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration. The manufacturer admitted to misleading regulators about the 737 Max’s MCAS flight control feature and the training needed to fly the aircraft equipped with the system. MCAS was primarily to blame for the two fatal crashes. The plea deal collapsed after it was struck down by Judge Reed O’Connor, citing the agreement’s diversity and inclusion provision. Once negotiations broke down for a second plea deal between Boeing and the DOJ, a June 23 court date was set to start the trial.
The Trump administration seems desperate for Boeing to escape pleading to a felony because it would prevent the federal government from awarding contracts to the aviation giant. For his part, President Donald Trump is happy to leverage his office to net deals for the country’s only commercial aircraft manufacturer. He signed a $96 billion deal with the Emir of Qatar for Qatar Airways to buy 160 Boeing widebody jets. Trump has pushed corporate welfare into a new era of corporatocracy that makes the Gilded Age’s trusts look quaint and restrained by comparison.
