By Mike Spector

New York, June 1 (Reuters) - Boeing ( BA ) 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 ( BA ) 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 ( BA ) 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 ( BA ) 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 ( BA ) 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 ( BA ) 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 ( BA ) over the 2021 fraud charge or take the company to trial

over it.

Boeing ( BA ) 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 ( BA ) 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.