Boeing Co pleads not guilty in fraud case over 737Max crashes
Boeing Co pleaded not guilty to deceiving federal regulators about changes made to its 737Max flight control system that led to two horrific crashes in 2018 and 2019.
The airplane manufacturing giant’s arraignment in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas, marks the first time the company has been forced to publicly answer to a criminal charge connected to the disasters. Two years ago, Boeing reached a controversial deferred prosecution agreement with the government that granted the company legal immunity.
Mike Delaney, Boeing’s chief safety officer, entered the plea on Thursday on behalf of the company, telling US district Judge Reed O’Connor that Boeing stands by its admissions of fault expressed in its agreement with the US justice department, even while it’s contesting the pending felony charge.
