Boeing is guilty.

The United States Department of Justice has found that the aerospace giant is guilty of violating the “deferred prosecution agreement” it entered into after two of its 737 Max airplanes crashed in 2018 and 2019, claiming 346 lives.

• “Deferred prosecution agreement” is legal jargon for when law enforcement agrees not to prosecute a corporation for misconduct that resulted in severe harm — or even mass casualties — if the company promises, essentially, not to do it again.

• But — to the surprise of no serious person — it turns out that giant corporations are no better at keeping their word than a child who promises “not to do it again” after getting caught with a hand in the cookie jar.

• A fixation on these barely-a-slap-on-the-wrist corporate leniency deals means that corporate criminals — even flagrant and repeat offenders — go unpunished time and time again.

• In January of this year, a section of the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines jet built by Boeing blew out while the plane was flying at roughly 440 miles per hour at an altitude of 16,000 feet.

• And there have been other alarming incidents with Boeing planes this year.

Boeing’s 2021 leniency deal with the Trump administration let the company escape any criminal prosecution for corporate misconduct that took 346 lives.

In exchange, all Boeing had to do was not commit fraud in the future — including by making sure its plane designs matched the plans it submitted to federal authorities.

But that was more than Boeing could manage, the Department of Justice has concluded. As a result, the DOJ can now revisit the 2018 and 2019 crashes, and bring new charges against the corporation.

Boeing must be investigated and, if warranted, prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Tell the United States Department of Justice:

The outrageous leniency deal Boeing got from the Trump administration in 2021 has so far allowed the company to escape meaningful accountability for the 2018 and 2019 Boeing 737 Max crashes. But, having found that Boeing violated the terms of that deal, you can now revisit what charges should have been filed in the first place — informed by the fact that Boeing failed to address its corporate culture issues around safety. If the facts and law support it, the DOJ should now file multiple counts against Boeing, including manslaughter charges.

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- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen
 
 
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