Washington – The United States Department of Justice was formally moved to dismiss a charge of criminal fraud against Boeing and has asked a judge to cancel an upcoming trial related to two air accidents that killed 346 people outside the coast of Indonesia and In Ethiopiaaccording to judicial documents submitted on Thursday.
The dealAnnounced last week, it will allow the manufacturer of US aircraft to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly deceiving US regulators about 737 Max Jetliner before the airplanes crashed less than five months of difference in 2018 and 2019.
The “Agreement in principle” will require the company to pay and invest more than $ 1.1 billion, including $ 445 million for the families of the victims of the accident, in exchange for dismissing the criminal case, according to judicial documents. Disienting the fraud position will allow the manufacturer to avoid a possible criminal sentence that could have jeopardized the state of the company as a federal contractor, experts said.
The American District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, will decide whether to accept the motion to dismiss, accept the terms of the non -pressure agreement and if cancel the trial. O’Connor ordered all lawyers to present an informative schedule on the government’s motion before June 4.
Some relatives of the passengers who died in The clashes They have been pressing for a public trial, the prosecution of the former company officials and a more severe financial punishment for Boeing. The Department of Justice has indicated that the families of the victims had mixed opinions on the proposed agreement.
Nadia Milleron, a Massachusetts resident whose 24 -year -old daughter, Samya Stumo, died in the accident of Ethiopia, in an email on Thursday said she hurt to read the “false” statement of the Department of Justice that the agreement will ensure significant responsibility, will offer public benefits and will bring the purpose to a complex case of whose result would not be safe.
“This is not a difficult or complex case because Boeing signed a confession,” said Milleron. “There will be no responsibility as a result of the NPA (non -precision agreement).”
Boeing said in a statement that the company is committed to fulfilling its obligations under the resolution, including institutional improvements and investments commitments, as well as additional compensation for the families of those who died in the two air accidents.
“We deeply regret their losses and continue committed to honor the memories of their loved ones by pressing with the broad and deep changes in our company that we have done to strengthen our security and culture system,” said a Boeing spokesman in the statement.
The lawyer Mark Lindquist, who represents dozens of the families of the victims, said in a statement on Thursday that, although he had wanted to see a more vigorous prosecution, he did not believe it was going to happen.
“At this point, I can only expect the criminal case and demands motivating Boeing to improve security,” Lindquist said. “That is what really matters. We all want to walk towards a Boeing plane and feel safe.”
Boeing was accused of deceiving Federal Aviation Administration on aspects of the maximum before the agency certifies the plane for the flight. Boeing did not tell the airlines and the pilots about a new software system that could reject the plane’s nose without the entrance of the pilots if a sensor detected that the plane could enter an aerodynamic position.
The Max aircraft crashed after a defective reading of the sensor pushed their nose down and the pilots could not recover control. After the second accident, Max Jets was based on the company redesigned the software.
The Department of Justice accused Boeing in 2021 of deceiving FAA regulators about the software and the amount of training that pilots would need to fly the plane safely. However, the department agreed not to process Boeing at that time if the company paid a $ 2.5 billion agreement, including the fine of $ 243.6 million, and took measures to comply with anti -fraud laws for three years.
But last year, federal prosecutors said Boeing violated the Terms of Agreement 2021 By not making promised changes to detect and avoid violations of federal laws against fraud. Boeing agreed last July To declare yourself guilty For the serious crime of fraud instead of supporting what could have been a long public trial.
Then, in December, O’Connor rejected the guilt agreement. The judge said that diversity, inclusion and equity, or OF THEThe policies in the government and in Boeing could make the breed a factor to choose a monitor to supervise Boeing compliance with the agreement.
According to the new agreement, Boeing must retain an “independent compliance consultant” that will make recommendations for an “additional improvement” and inform the government, according to judicial documents.
