Boeing nears deal to avoid guilty plea, prosecution in 737 MAX crashes case, sources say

Boeing has reached a tentative nonprosecution agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice in a fraud case stemming from two fatal 737 MAX plane crashes that killed 346 people, people familiar with the matter said.

Why it matters

The agreement would forestall a June 23 trial date the planemaker faces on a charge it misled U.S. regulators about a crucial flight control system on the 737 MAX, its strongest-selling jet. It would allow Boeing to avoid being branded a convicted felon and be a blow to families who lost relatives in the crashes and had pressed prosecutors to take the U.S. planemaker to trial.