Boeing accepts plea agreement to criminal fraud charges

(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Officials said boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two crashes of 737 Max jetliners.

According to an update from the Justice Department on Sunday, Boeing will plead guilty after the government determined the company violated an agreement that had protected it from prosecution for more than three years.

The charges stem from two jetliner crashes that resulted in the death of 346 people.

Last week, federal prosecutors gave boeing the choice of entering a guilty plea and paying a fine, or facing a trial on the felony criminal charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Prosecutors accused the American aerospace giant of deceiving regulators who approved the airplane and pilot-training requirements for it.

The plea deal calls for boeing to pay an additional $243.6 million fine and an independent monitor would be named to oversee its safety and quality procedures for three years.

The deal also requires boeing to invest at least $455 million in its compliance and safety programs.