Boeing Co. plans to pay $615 million to settle a U.S. Justice Department suit over procurement violations, according to a report on the Wall Street Journal's Web site on Monday.

As part of the settlement, Boeing will avoid criminal charges and admit no wrongdoing, according to the Journal report, citing unnamed sources.

The deal calls for Boeing to pay $565 million to cover civil claims and $50 million to resolve criminal investigations, the Journal said.

The Chicago-based defense contractor has been the subject of government investigations into the recruitment of a U.S. Air Force weapons buyer while she still had oversight of the billions of dollars in Boeing contracts, and the appropriation of secret information on Lockheed Martin Corp. rocket programs.

The admission of no wrongdoing could make it harder for Lockheed to seek pending civil claims for damages, the report said.

In April, Boeing Chief Financial Officer James Bell said the company was working with federal authorities, but denied reports that a settlement was imminent.

Last week, Boeing named prominent U.S. appeals court judge J. Michael Luttig as its head lawyer, in a move seen by legal observers as another step toward demonstrating it is a responsible contractor.

Scandals at Boeing have led to an executive reorganization and the departure of two chief executives.

Current CEO James McNerney was appointed last June.

Lawsuit Settlement