Boeing Settles U.S. Export-Control Charges

Boeing Co. will pay $4.2 million to settle federal charges that it violated U.S. export-control laws by sharing military technology with non-U.S. officials, the State Department said. A department spokesman said Boeing signed a consent agreement for the settlement March 30. The Seattle-based aerospace company agreed to spend $400,000 of its settlement to appoint its own corporate officer to oversee company compliance, the State Department spokesman said. A Boeing spokesman did not immediately return calls seeking comment. The State Department had charged that Boeing violated the laws at least 110 times. The bulk of the violations came while Boeing was trying to win a $1-billion contract to build Australia’s next early-warning aircraft, Wedgetail. The State Department said Boeing also broke the rules in trying to win contracts in Singapore, Turkey, Malaysia, Spain and Italy. Boeing shares fell 83 cents to close at $55.98 on the NYSE.