Eastern Airlines agreed to pay a $3.5 million fine and plead guilty to charges that it faked records to cover up its failure to do required aircraft safety maintenance, a newspaper reported Saturday.

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The airline, which ceased operations Jan. 18, admitted guilt to seven of the 60 charges brought against it in an indictment by a federal grand jury last July, a spokeswoman told The Washington Post. The remaining 53 charges will be dropped in return for the guilty plea.The plea agreement, filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Thursday, protects the airline from further prosecution but requires its cooperation in any investigation, the newspaper reported.

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