Boeing to plead guilty in US probe of fatal 737 MAX crashes, says DOJ official

- Boeing (BA.N) has agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge related to two fatal 737 MAX crashes - The plea requires a federal judge's approval and Boeing will pay a criminal fine of $243.6 million - Boeing exposed to criminal prosecution after violating a 2021 settlement involving the fatal crashes - Plea spares Boeing a trial, but potentially threatens its ability to secure lucrative government contracts - Boeing will invest at least $455 million to strengthen safety and compliance programs - Agreement does not shield executives, but charges against individuals are unlikely due to statute of limitations - Families of crash victims slammed previous agreement and DOJ is working to finalize the plea agreement by July 19

🚨 Reddit sentiment: mixed/negative - While there are some predictions of the stock price rising, the overall tone of the comments is negative due to concerns about accountability, leniency of punishment, and perceived injustice. Summarized comments: - The company is fined, but individuals who committed the fraud are not held accountable - $247 million fine is insignificant compared to Boeing's revenue - Some users expect the stock price to drop while others predict it might go up due to issue being resolved - Outrage over the leniency of the punishment and lack of accountability - The fine compared to similar corporate penalties is viewed as unfairly low - Some predict the stock price might rise despite the news - Concerns about lack of justice for the crash victims - Some sarcastically predicting bullish outcomes despite negative news Stock tickers discussed: BA