Boeing has agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge after the US Department of Justice (DoJ) found the company violated a previous agreement meant to reform it following two fatal 737 Max crashes that resulted in the deaths of 346 passengers and crew members. As part of this plea, Boeing will pay a $243.6 million criminal fine.

The families of the crash victims have criticized this resolution as a "sweetheart deal," arguing it allows Boeing to evade full accountability for the fatalities. By pleading guilty, Boeing avoids a criminal trial, which the victims' families had been advocating for. The company's safety record has been under scrutiny since the two 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019, leading to the global grounding of the aircraft for over a year.

In 2021, Boeing faced a charge of conspiracy to defraud regulators, with allegations that it misled the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about the MCAS flight control system implicated in both crashes. The DoJ agreed not to prosecute Boeing if the company paid a penalty and completed a three-year period of enhanced monitoring and reporting. However, an incident in January involving a door panel blowing out on a Boeing plane operated by Alaska Airlines led to increased scrutiny of the company's safety progress.

In May, the DoJ determined that Boeing had violated the terms of the agreement, opening the door for prosecution. Boeing's guilty plea marks a significant blemish on its record, particularly as a major military contractor for the US government, raising questions about how this criminal record might impact its contracting business. Generally, firms with criminal records are barred from government bids, though waivers can be granted.

Paul Cassell, a lawyer representing some of the victims' families, criticized the deal, arguing that the deaths of 346 people warrant more substantial justice and suggesting a fine exceeding $24 billion. Ed Pierson, executive director of the Foundation for Aviation Safety and a former Boeing manager, called the plea "seriously disappointing" and a "terrible deal for justice," emphasizing that individual accountability was lacking.

The two 737 Max crashes—one involving a Lion Air flight in October 2018 and the other an Ethiopian Airlines flight in early 2019—resulted in all passengers and crew perishing. In the 2021 agreement, Boeing also consented to pay $2.5 billion to settle the matter, which included a $243 million criminal penalty and $500 million to a victims' fund. This deal angered family members who were not consulted and demanded a trial for Boeing.

Despite some DoJ officials recommending prosecution, reports indicated that the DoJ was uncertain about the strength of its case. Mark Forkner, a former Boeing technical pilot and the only individual criminally charged, was acquitted in 2022, with his defense arguing he was scapegoated.

Mark Cohen, a professor emeritus at Vanderbilt University who has studied corporate penalties, noted that prosecutors often favor plea deals or deferred prosecution agreements to avoid the risks of trial and potentially exert more control over a company. Cohen suggested that Boeing's status as a crucial government contractor influenced the decision-making process, highlighting the consideration of collateral consequences in such cases.

Boeing's issues with the MCAS system were not its first legal troubles. Since 2015, the company has paid millions in penalties to the FAA for various claims of improper manufacturing and other issues. Boeing also continues to face investigations and lawsuits stemming from the January Alaska Airlines flight incident.