Two U.S.senators have asked the Department of Justice to take tougher action against Boeing executives by holding them criminally accountable for safety issues that have impacted its airplanes.
In a letter dated Wednesday and sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Democratic Sens.Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said the department's past efforts to effect change at Boeing have failed “because of its continued refusal to criminally prosecute responsible individuals.” (asterisk)For too long, corporate executives have routinely escaped prosecution for criminal misconduct.
This coddling comes at the expense of customer and worker safety, and it must end,” the senators wrote.“We therefore urge you to carefully review the behavior and potential culpability of Boeing’s executives and hold criminally accountable any individuals that have promoted a culture at the company that disregards passenger safety in violation of federal laws and regulations.”Boeing declined by email to comment.The senators' letter comes ahead of a federal hearing next week over Boeing’s agreement to plead guilty to conspiracy in connection with the 737 Max jetliner, two of which crashed, killing 346 people.Families of some of the passengers killed in the crashes object to the agreement.
They want to put Boeing on trial, where it could face tougher punishment.The Justice Department argued in court filings that conspiracy to defraud the government is the most serious charge it can prove.Prosecutors said they lack evidence to show that Boeing’s actions caused the crashes in 2018 in Indonesia and 2019 in Ethiopia.Relatives of victims and their lawyers have called the settlement a sweetheart deal that fails to consider the loss of so many lives.
Some of the lawyers have argued that the Justice Department treated Boeing gently because the company is a big government contractor.The agreement calls for Boeing to pay a fine of at least $243.6 mill...