Boeing is to plead guilty to a charge of conspiracy fraud over deadly 737 Max crashes. The company will pay a $243.6m fine and allow itself to be monitored. The deal spares the company, which had $74bn in revenues over the last year, the inconvenience of a trial.
If the deal is accepted, it could complicate Boeing's ability to sell products to the U.S. government as a felon, though the company could seek waivers.About 32% of Boeing's nearly $78 billion in revenue last year came from its defense, space and security unit.
A fine is a price, and this fine is roughly equivalent to the price of the two crashed jets. A sweetheart deal, a minimum viable accountability. I can't help but notice that the only source other than Boeing and Justice Department press releases is relegated to the final paragraph of the story, but in fairness not all of them are quite so lopsided.
Paul Cassell, a lawyer for victims' family members, said he plans to ask the federal judge on the case to reject the deal and "simply set the matter for a public trial, so that all the facts surrounding the case will be aired in a fair and open forum before a jury."
Correction: the plea deal covers only conduct before the crashes.
