Boeing has agreed to plead guilty to criminal fraud tied to the fatal 737 Max crashes, a decision that brands the U.S. aerospace giant a felon but allows it to avoid a trial while it tries to turn the page from safety and manufacturing crises.

Under the deal, Boeing would face a fine of up to $487.2 million, though the Justice Department recommended that the court credit Boeing $243.6 million it paid under a previous agreement. So the new fine would be $243.6 million.

If the deal is accepted, it could complicate Boeing’s ability to sell products to the U.S. government as a felon, though the company could seek waivers.About 32% of Boeing’s nearly $78 billion in revenue last year came from its defense, space and security unit.

The Justice Department unveiled the deal late Sunday, months after U.S. prosecutors said the aerospace giant violated a 2021 settlement that shielded it from prosecution for three years.

An independent compliance monitor would also be installed to oversee compliance at Boeing for three years during a probationary period. Boeing would also have to invest at least $455 million in compliance and safety programs, according to a U.S. prosecutors’ court filing late Sunday. The plea deal requires the approval of a federal judge to take effect.

Boeing also agreed for its board of directors to meet with crash victims’ family members.

The plea deal offer forced Boeing to decide between a guilty plea and the attached terms, or going to trial, just as the company was seeking to turn a corner in its manufacturing and safety crises, pick a new CEO and acquire its fuselage maker, Spirit AeroSystems.

“We can confirm that we have reached an agreement in principle on terms of a resolution with the Justice Department, subject to the memorialization and approval of specific terms,” Boeing said in a statement after the court filing.

In May, the Justice Department said Boeing had violated the 2021 settlement. Under that deferred prosecution agreement, Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion, including a $243.6 million criminal fine, compensation to airlines and a $500 million fund for victims’ family members.

That 2021 settlement was set to expire two days after a door panel blew out of a nearly new 737 Max 9 operated by Alaska Airlines on Jan. 5. While there were no serious injuries, the accident created a fresh safety crisis for Boeing. A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board found that key bolts that hold the door panel in place were not attached to the aircraft.