Boeing 737 MAX crash families say planemaker should face much higher fine

WASHINGTON — Families of some of the 346 people killed in two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes said on Wednesday that a US judge should reject the planemaker's proposed plea deal with the Justice Department and the government should seek a much higher fine.

On July 24, the planemaker finalized an agreement to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge and pay up to $487 million after breaching a 2021 deferred prosecution agreement.

US District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, can accept the corporate plea agreement and the proposed sentence, or reject the deal, which likely would lead to new negotiations between Boeing and prosecutors.