The US Department of Justice is reportedly offering a plea deal to Boeing for the company to plead guilty to fraud in a case where two Max 737 jets crashed, killing 346 people. The crashes in question took place in 2018 and 2019. One lawyer, Mark Lindquist representing the families of the victims has called it a “sweetheart deal.”
Mark Lindquist joins KVI’s Ari Hoffman to discuss the details
According to the Associated Press, Boeing must accept or reject the offer by the end of the week.
The DOJ told the families of two crashes, one in 2018 and one in 2019, about the plea deal over a video call. The families want to take Boeing to criminal court over the actions and for the company to pay a fine of $24.8 billion. Family members expressed outrage at the deal during the meeting and advocated for additional charges and a criminal trial.
Mark Lindquist said in a statement, “The Max 9 door plug blowout, among other incidents, demonstrates the continuing safety issues at Boeing.”
He added, “In all of our cases against Boeing, I’m aiming not just for justice and accountability, but for Boeing to get its act together.”
Prosecutors reportedly told the families that if the aerospace giant rejects the deal, the DOJ will seek to take the matter to trial. A conviction in the case could jeopardize Boeing’s status as a federal contractor. Some of the families plan to ask that the Texas judge in the case reject the plea deal if Boeing agrees to it.
