DALLAS, TX (AP) The Justice Department is defending a plea deal it struck with Boeing over planes that crashed and killed hundreds of people.

The DOJ said in a court filing on Wednesday, Aug. 14 that it lacks evidence to prosecute the company for more serious crimes.

Boeing agreed last month to plead guilty to a single felony charge of conspiracy to commit fraud for deceiving regulators who approved the 737 Max.

Under the plea deal, Boeing would pay a fine of at least $243.6 million, invest $455 million in compliance and safety programs and be placed on probation for three years.

Prosecutors say if the plea deal is rejected and the case goes to trial, they will not offer testimony or evidence about the causes of the two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019, nor will they charge any individuals from Boeing.

The DOJ made the court filing in response to relatives of the people killed in the crashes, who asked a federal judge in Texas to reject the settlement.

The relatives argue that the sentence approved by prosecutors is light punishment considering the loss of lives.

The judge can accept the plea agreement and proposed sentence, or he could reject the deal, which likely would lead to new negotiations between Boeing and the Justice Department.