By Mike Spector
       New York, June 1 (Reuters) - Boeing executives are
unlikely to be criminally charged over fatal crashes in 2018 and
2019 that killed 346 people as the statute of limitations has
likely passed, U.S. Justice Department officials told victims'
family members in a meeting.
    Details were corroborated by a person familiar with the
gathering on Friday and correspondence reviewed by Reuters.
    The deadline for prosecuting most federal crimes is five
years.
        The Justice Department 
    found
     in mid-May that Boeing violated a 2021 deferred prosecution
agreement (DPA) that had shielded the company from a criminal
charge arising from the fatal crashes.
  
    Officials agreed to ask a judge to dismiss the charge of
conspiring to defraud the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) as long as Boeing abided by the terms of the agreement
over a three-year period ending Jan. 7, 2024.
    But an in-flight blowout two days before the agreement
expired exposed ongoing safety and quality issues. A panel blew
off a new Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet during a Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines
flight.
    Boeing has until June 13 to outline any disagreements with
the department's finding that it violated the 2021 agreement.
Officials have until July 7 to inform a federal judge in Texas
of its plans.
    "We have honored the terms of the agreement," Boeing said in
a statement on Saturday.
        The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a
request for comment. 
    The department is weighing several options, including
whether to prosecute Boeing or extend the DPA by a year.
Officials could also enter into a new DPA or reach a
non-prosecution agreement that does not involve court
supervision.
    Officials could also seek to negotiate a plea deal with
Boeing over the 2021 fraud charge or take the company to trial
over it.
    Boeing could also face charges over its behavior during the
three-year term of the DPA, though officials have not found
evidence of any felonies committed during that period,
prosecutors told the victims' families, according to the source
familiar with meeting.
    Victims' family members are discussing asking officials to
seek an enhanced sentence should Boeing be prosecuted and
convicted, the source told Reuters.
    In the meeting, Justice Department officials said they
believe they are unable to prove cases of federal manslaughter
or fraud involving aircraft parts beyond a reasonable doubt, the
person added.


 (Reporting by Mike Spector in New York; Additional reporting by
Chris Prentice and Allison Lampert; Editing by Richard Chang)