Fort Worth federal judge to rule on Boeing criminal prosecution

FORT WORTH, Texas - A federal judge in Fort Worth will decide if Boeing should face criminal prosecution for two crashes that killed more than 300 people.

Family members of the victims are expected to be there to testify before the judge.

Boeing Investigation

The backstory:

346 people died in two Boeing 737 crashes in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019.

U.S. prosecutors initially charged the North Texas-based aircraft manufacturer with conspiracy to commit fraud after it found faulty sensor readings led to the deadly crashes.

In December 2024, Boeing and the Department of Justice reached a plea deal.

The families objected to it, and the judge ultimately denied it.

What's new:

The federal government is now pursuing a "non-prosecution agreement."

It would ask Boeing to pay an additional $243.6 million as a penalty, along with the $445 million to the families, and make additional investments in safety.

In exchange, the DOJ will dismiss the criminal charges.

Hearing testimony

What they're saying:

An attorney for the families said the agreement does not hold Boeing accountable and fails to provide appropriate safety monitoring of the company.

On Wednesday, family members who have traveled from as far away as France, Ireland, and Canada will ask Judge Reed O’Connor to reject the new deal.

Law professor Paul Cassell represents 14 families who lost loved ones to plane crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed a total of 346 people. 

"Essentially, this is an effort to bribe their way out of prison, and we hope Judge O’Connor sees through that and rejects the motion," said Cassell.

Both incidents involved the Boeing model 737 Max Jet.

Chris Moore, with his wife Clariss and son David are still grieving their daughter Danielle.

"We are dealing with accountability here, and we have to make sure that we hold Boeing to account of what they did," said Chris.

They are among more than a dozen others who flew to Fort Worth for the Wednesday morning hearing in federal court. 

Dig deeper:

Joshua Babu and his wife Emily flew 25-hours from Nairobi, Kenya, in memory of their late son and daughter-in-law. 

"We believe if Boeing is prosecuted and held accountable, this will improve air safety because they will be more concerned about human safety and the aircraft they design because we all can’t stop flying," said Babu.

One by one, the families asked U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor to deny the non-prosecution agreement, just the latest motion by the U.S. Attorney.

If granted, Boeing executives avoid prosecution and the company pays an additional $445 million to crash victims’ families, a sum being called miniscule. 

"Who gets to decide the fine? Does anyone here know who gets to decide the fine? Boeing did," said David Moore.

Boeing says it is the power of the executive branch to decide whether to bring or maintain a prosecution, and so the company is asking Judge O’Connor to grant the government's motion dismissing the criminal charge.

What they're saying:

"How do you call that justice? I can not forget and I am not forgiving. Only if this comes to trial, and we will have justice then maybe we will be forgiving. 346 lives. That’s a criminal offense," said Clariss Moore.

In July of last year, the mother of one of the victims explained why they want Boeing to face criminal prosecution.

"The public should expect the Department of Justice to serve justice and protect them from perpetrators," said Nadia Milleron. "We never thought that getting on a commercial airplane would be a safety concern."

Fort WorthBoeingCrime and Public Safety