Boeing agreed to plead guilty to avoid prosecution

The government found that the company violated an agreement that protected it from criminal prosecution for more than three years, the Justice Department said.

Last week, federal prosecutors gave Boeing a choice: either plead guilty and pay a fine or stand trial on charges of conspiring to defraud the United States.

Prosecutors accused the U.S. aerospace giant of misleading regulators who approved training requirements for the plane and its pilots.

Boeing must pay an additional $243.6 million in fines under the plea agreement, which must be approved by a federal judge to go into effect. That’s the same amount the company paid under the 2021 agreement that the Justice Department now says the company violated. An independent monitor will be appointed to oversee Boeing’s safety and quality procedures for three years. The agreement also requires Boeing to invest at least $455 million in compliance and safety programs.

The plea deal covers only Boeing’s wrongdoing before the crashes, which killed all 346 passengers and crew members aboard two new planes. It does not give Boeing immunity from other incidents.

The agreement also does not apply to current or former Boeing officials, but only to the corporation.