spacetoday.net: Boeing, Justice Dept. to settle probe

Posted: Mon, May 15, 2006, 6:18 AM ET (1018 GMT)
The Boeing Company and the Department of Justice are planning to settle a series of federal probes into the company, including improper use of a competitor's documents when bidding on launch contracts, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. According to the article, Boeing will pay $615 million to the federal government to bring an end to probes of the company without admitting any wrongdoing. The settlement in part covers a federal investigation into Boeing's alleged use of proprietary Lockheed Martin documents when bidding on EELV launch contracts in the 1990s. The settlement does not cover a separate Lockheed lawsuit against Boeing on the same charges, nor is it clear if it will have any effect on the ongoing government review of the United Launch Alliance, the Boeing-Lockheed EELV joint venture.