DOJ Says Boeing Is Now Subject to Criminal Prosecution After Failing to Fulfill Obligations in Wake of Fatal Crashes

The Justice Department has said Boeing could face criminal prosecution because it did not live up to its word.

In 2021, Boeing signed an agreement that avoided criminal prosecution connected with two 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.

On Tuesday, the Justice Department wrote the judge responsible for overseeing the 2021 agreement that “the Government has determined that Boeing breached its obligations” under a deferred prosecution agreement  “by failing to design, implement, and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of the U.S. fraud laws throughout its operations.”

“For failing to fulfill completely the terms of and obligations under the DPA, Boeing is subject to prosecution by the United States for any federal criminal violation of which the United States has knowledge,” the letter said.

The finding came as officials delve into Boeing’s quality control procedures after a Jan. 5 incident in which a panel blew off a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet. That incident took place two days before the 2021 agreement was set to expire, according to Reuters.

Passengers on the flight were later informed by the FBI that they might be crime victims, according to USA Today.

Since that incident, whistleblowers and investigators have come forward to claim there are multiple shortfalls in the company’s quality control procedures that cover multiple sites and multiple