The conspiracy conviction could have left the aerospace giant ineligible for U.S. government contracts
A federal judge in Texas has granted the US government’s request to dismiss a conspiracy charge against Boeing stemming from two deadly crashes of the 737 MAX that killed 346 people. According to critics, this aerospace company avoids full criminal liability.
Under the agreement announced by the U.S. Department of Justice, Boeing will pay about $1.1 billion in fines, compensation for victims’ families and improvements in investment safety — in exchange for avoiding prosecution on charges that it defrauded regulators by misleading them about key flight control software.
Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas approved the dismissal Thursday, ruling that the government had not acted in bad faith and had met its obligations under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, even as he expressed serious concerns about the lack of independent oversight of Boeing.
The controversy dates back to the crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019 – both related to the 737 MAX’s faulty MCAS flight control system. The two tragedies prompted a 20-month detention of the plane and increased scrutiny of the company, including allegations of whistleblowing and suspicious deaths.
In 2021, Boeing entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) after admitting to defrauding the Federal Aviation Administration during the 737 MAX certification process. At the time, Boeing paid approximately $243.6 million in criminal fines and more than $1.7 billion in related settlements. However, in 2024, the DOJ ruled that Boeing had violated the terms of the DPA by failing to implement a proper compliance and ethics program.
The dismissal allows Boeing to avoid a misdemeanor conviction that could have jeopardized its status as a government contractor, although civil lawsuits against crash victims continue to develop.
The victims’ families have previously criticized the deal ‘morally reprehensible’ arguing that it allows Boeing to avoid real criminal responsibility despite the severity of the crashes. Their lawyer has promised to appeal the decision.
Boeing and the DOJ emphasize that the financial settlement and promised reforms serve the public interest and bring finality to a complex case whose outcome would otherwise have been uncertain.
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