The Department of Justice (DOJ) sent a letter to the families of victims of two fatal Boeing 737 Max crashes, seeking to meet with them to decide whether the company violated an agreement that allowed it to escape criminal prosecution over the crashes. .
The letter, obtained and reported by ABC Newswas sent by the DOJ’s fraud section and asked victims’ families to attend a meeting on May 31, where they will be informed of the department’s decision.
Boeing has come under increased scrutiny after a series of safety accidents this year that halted the progress it was making in recovering from two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019. The incidents have put a spotlight on culture, safety and security. company manufacturing.
In April, about a dozen family members of passengers who died in the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash met with authorities in Washington, where they asked them to revive a criminal fraud charge against Boeing to determine whether the company violated terms of a 2021 agreement.
The agreement meant that Boeing would continue to cooperate with the government, disclose any allegations of fraud and avoid committing any crimes. If the DOJ believes the company violated the agreement, it would pave the way for a landmark criminal prosecution that would likely have industry-wide impacts.
“The DOJ has been very non-transparent in revealing to families how they are deciding compliance or violation,” Robert Clifford, an attorney representing the families, according to ABC. “This has been a very disappointing feature of the department’s contact and communication with families. But to be fair to the department, prosecutors rarely discuss the details of their investigations, so this is not out of the ordinary.”
The DOJ invited victims’ families to meet with fraud section attorneys for seven hours at the end of the month and will be informed of the department’s decision and “potential next steps.” Your views and opinions will also be heard, ABC reported.
The Hill has reached out to the DOJ for comment. Boeing did not comment.
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