The U.S. Justice Department has formally moved to dismiss a criminal fraud charge against Boeing and has asked a judge to cancel an upcoming trial connected to two plane crashes that killed 346 people off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia, according to court documents filed Thursday.

The deal, announced last week, will allow the American aircraft manufacturer to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before the planes crashed less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019.

The “agreement in principle” will require the company to pay and invest more than $1.1 billion, including an additional $445 million for the crash victims’ families, in return for dismissing the criminal case, according to court documents. Dismissing the fraud charge will allow the manufacturer to avoid a possible criminal conviction that could have jeopardized the company’s status as a federal contractor, experts have said.

  • Tylerdurdon@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Oh look, money can erase 346 deaths too. So at this point, when will we see the first bank robberies with 1/2 the loot being used for a pardon? Maybe someone hitting a crypto bank and slaughtering the staff. As long as they “pay their dues,” all is forgiven, right?

    • Hazmatastic@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Nope. At that point, you’re new money with no way to sustain it. You’re part of The Poors but with the added step of funneling that money into “better, more capable” hands, and a poor investment for a pardon.