Exclusive-US pushes for Boeing to plead guilty in connection with fatal crashes, sources say

By Mike Spector and Chris Prentice

(Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department is pushing for Boeing (NYSE:) to plead guilty to a criminal charge after finding the planemaker violated a settlement over fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people, two people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

The Justice Department is expected to formally offer the plea agreement to Boeing later in the day, the sources said.

Spokespeople for Boeing and the DOJ declined to comment.

U.S. Justice Department officials revealed their decision to victims’ family members during a call earlier on Sunday. The plea deal would require Boeing to plead guilty to conspiring to defraud the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in connection with the fatal crashes, the sources said.

The agreement would also impose an independent monitor to audit Boeing’s safety and compliance practices for three years, they said.

Justice Department officials plan to give Boeing until the end of the week to respond to the offer, which they initially will present as nonnegotiable, the sources said. Should Boeing refuse to plead guilty, prosecutors plan to take the company to trial, they said.