Report: U.S. prosecutors recommend DOJ criminally charge Boeing

U.S. prosecutors have recommended to senior Justice Department officials that Boeing Co. face criminal charges for violating a settlement related to two fatal crashes, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the matter it didn’t identify.

The people didn’t specify what criminal charges Justice Department officials are considering. The charges could extend beyond the original 2021 fraud conspiracy charge, Reuters said, citing one of the people.

The federal agency determined in May that Boeing had breached a 2021 deferred-prosecution agreement that was put in place after the 737 Max crashes, which killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019. The planemaker has denied the department’s findings, and the Justice Department now has until July 7 to decide what punishment, if any, the company should face.

Alternatively, instead of prosecuting Boeing, the DOJ could extend the 2021 settlement by a year or propose new, stricter terms, Reuters said, citing the people.

Boeing declined to comment to Reuters, while a spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment.

The internal Justice Department deliberations remain ongoing and no final decisions have been reached, Reuters said.