Boeing May Face Criminal Probe

Boeing could face a criminal investigation because of the door plug failure on a 737 MAX in early January. According to CNN, the Justice Department is probing whether the myriad deficiencies discovered in the initial investigations after the mishap violate a deferred prosecution agreement Boeing signed three years ago after the crashes of two MAXes. The door issue happened just two days before the agreement's term ended.

The deal cost Boeing $2.5 billion, most of which went to survivors of the victims of the crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. The families fought that deal when it was struck and it was one of their lawyers who asked for the DOJ probe. The investigation is on a long list of legal and regulatory issues facing Boeing, including a 90-day deadline to come up with a plan to solve its production problems.