BOEING CO. Former exec plans plea on conspiracy charge, records say

Boeing fired the executive and said it is cooperating with the investigation.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- A former top executive at Boeing under investigation for her role in helping the company obtain a $23 billion contract from the Air Force has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy, according to court records.
Darleen Druyun, who had been an Air Force procurement officer before accepting a job from Boeing as deputy general manager of its Missile Defense Systems unit, has not been charged with a crime, though she has been under investigation by a grand jury. A document filed last week in the U.S. District Court in Alexandria indicates that she plans to plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy April 20. The charge carries a maximum of five years in prison.
The Washington Post, citing federal sources familiar with the investigation, reported that Druyun is cooperating in the probe.
The allegations
Boeing fired Druyun, 56, and chief financial officer Mike Sears in November. The company alleged that Sears improperly contacted Druyun about a possible top-level job for her at Boeing back in 2002, when Druyun played an influential role in deciding whether Boeing should get a multibillion-dollar contract to lease or sell 100 aerial tankers to the Air Force.
The contract was eventually awarded to Boeing. Before it was awarded, Druyun -- while still working for the Air Force -- had informed Boeing that Airbus had submitted a bid of $5 million to $17 million less per plane than the Boeing offer, according to internal documents.
The deal has been criticized by some in Congress, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. And last week, the Pentagon's inspector general said significant changes should be made to the deal before it is allowed to proceed.
Boeing officials said last month that they expect the deal to go forward but were prepared to take a $310 million charge if it collapses.
"The company has been cooperating with authorities since we uncovered inappropriate conduct involving our hiring practices," said spokeswoman Deborah Bosick, but she declined to comment specifically on the plea deal.