Justice Department says Boeing violated deal that avoided prosecution after 737 Max crashes

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has determined that Boeing violated a settlement that allowed the company to avoid criminal prosecution after two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft, prosecutors told a federal judge on Tuesday.

It is now up to the Justice Department to weigh whether to file charges against the aircraft maker. Prosecutors will tell the court no later than July 7 how they plan to proceed, the Justice Department said.

Boeing failed to make changes to prevent it from violating federal anti-fraud laws — a condition of the the 2021 settlement, Glenn Leon, the head of the fraud section of the Justice Department’s criminal division said in a letter.

The determination means that Boeing could be prosecuted “for any federal criminal violation of which the United States has knowledge,” including the charge of fraud that the company hoped to avoid with the $2.5 billion settlement, the Justice Department said.

However, it is not clear whether the government will prosecute the manufacturing giant.

“The Government is determining how it will proceed in this matter,” the Justice Department said in the court filing.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Potential Menendez corruption trial jurors are told US senators may be named or called as witnesses </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Ippei Mizuhara, ex-interpreter for MLB star Shohei Ohtani, pleads not guilty as a formality </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline