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In 2021, Boeing entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with the Justice Department following a pair of deadly 737 MAX Jet crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. As part of the deal, Boeing would avoid criminal prosecution as long as it agreed to follow new safety obligations.
Now, the Justice Department is accusing Boeing of failing to uphold the terms of the agreement.
In a filing in federal court, the Department of Justice said that Boeing failed "to design, implement, and enforce a compliance and ethics program to prevent and detect violations of the U.S. fraud laws throughout its operations."
Boeing disputes the claims and has until June 13 to file a response.
"We can confirm that we received a communication today from the Justice Department, stating that the Department has made a determination that we have not met our obligations under our 2021 deferred prosecution agreement, and requesting the company's response," Boeing said in a statement to Fox News.
"We believe that we have honored the terms of that agreement, and look forward to the opportunity to respond to the Department on this issue," Boeing added. "As we do so, we will engage with the Department with the utmost transparency, as we have throughout the entire term of the agreement, including in response to their questions following the Alaska Airlines 1282 accident."
The Justice Department has decided if prosecutors will file criminal charges, saying it is "still determining how it will proceed in this matter."