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Boeing admits to having committed criminal fraud in two fatal air accidents in 2018 and 2019.
Boeing has pleaded guilty to fraud in the investigation into the fatal 737 MAX crash in the United States and faces a criminal fine of up to $487.2 million (approximately RMB 3.542 billion).
Boeing pleads guilty or is fined over 3.5 billion yuan

According to Bloomberg, the US government stated in a court document submitted on Sunday that Boeing has admitted to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge. According to an agreement reached with US prosecutors, Boeing is facing a criminal fine of up to $487.2 million, "the maximum amount allowed by law, but the actual amount will be determined by a judge," according to the US Department of Justice.
The US Department of Justice has requested judges to record the fines previously paid by Boeing in their accounts, which, if approved, would lower the new fines to $243.6 million. As part of the 2021 agreement, Boeing has previously paid a criminal fine of $243.6 million and admitted to deceiving the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on a fuzzy flight control system related to the crash.
In October 2018 and March 2019, there were air accidents on flights of Lion Air Indonesia and Ethiopian Airlines, resulting in a total of 346 deaths on both planes. The crashed planes were all Boeing 737 MAX 8 passenger planes.
In January 2021, the US Department of Justice filed a criminal lawsuit against Boeing and reached a three-year suspension of prosecution agreement with it. Boeing agrees to pay fines and compensation exceeding $2.5 billion, and promises to cooperate fully to implement compliance and improvement plans as required. The suspension of prosecution agreement is valid until January 7th of this year. Dramatically, just two days before the expiration of the agreement, a 737 Max 9 experienced a "door stopper (embedded emergency door)" falling off during flight. Although it did not cause any casualties, it exposed Boeing's ongoing quality control issues, leading to the involvement of the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration in an investigation. The incident was also listed by the Ministry of Justice as the basis for investigating whether Boeing violated the agreement.
In May of this year, the US Department of Justice ruled that Boeing had violated a settlement agreement related to the fatal plane crash in 2021, and Boeing faced criminal prosecution as a result.
On June 30th, the US Department of Justice filed a plea agreement with Boeing and demanded that the company accept the agreement before July 7th, otherwise it would face charges of conspiracy to defraud the FAA. The fraudulent behavior revolves around Boeing's intentional false statements to the FAA, claiming that the new software saves money by reducing the intensive training of pilots.
It is reported that the US government and Boeing are still finalizing the agreement, and it is expected that the final plea agreement will be submitted to the Texas federal court before July 19th. Admitting guilt may affect Boeing's ability to sign lucrative contracts with government agencies such as the US Department of Defense and NASA.
A Boeing spokesperson stated in a brief statement that the company has reached a principle agreement with the US Department of Justice on settlement terms. As part of the agreement, Boeing has also agreed to spend at least $455 million over the next three years to strengthen its security and compliance programs. The Boeing board of directors will also meet with the relatives of the victims of the 737 MAX crash. The agreement also stipulates an independent inspector who must publicly submit an annual progress report to monitor the company's compliance status.
What does pleading guilty mean for Boeing?

This Boeing plea may undermine Boeing's ability to obtain government contracts. According to analyst data cited by Reuters, Boeing's government contracts in 2023 accounted for 37% of its annual revenue. Boeing also signed a $14.8 billion contract with the US Department of Defense in 2022. "In the field of government contracts, prosecution or criminal liability determination can have a significant impact on companies."; Franklin Turner, a government contract lawyer for English, said.
It is understood that Boeing can seek exemptions from government departments and agencies to continue signing contracts with them. However, University of Michigan law professor Vikramatia Kana stated that government officials in each department or agency must decide whether Boeing, as a convicted felon, is entitled to immunity.
At the same time, this settlement agreement quickly drew criticism from the families of the victims, who hoped that Boeing would accept trial and bear more severe economic consequences. A family member said, "Killing someone would result in life imprisonment. Boeing killed 346 people for higher profits, but only needed to pay a fine of 2.5 times the retail price of the crashed plane." The victim's family also urged the Department of Justice to seek compensation of up to $25 billion last month.
Some lawyers for the families of the victims have stated that they plan to pressure Judge Reed O'Connor, who is in charge of the case, to refuse the transaction. In another document submitted to the court, they cited a statement by Reed O'Connor in a February 2023 ruling: "Boeing's crimes may be considered the deadliest corporate crime in US history," representing some relatives of the victims; Kreindler LLP lawyer Erin Applebaum believes that this transaction is only a "minor punishment". She said, "We are very disappointed that despite strong opposition from the families of the victims to the terms of the agreement, the Ministry of Justice is still advancing this completely inadequate plea agreement."
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