Boeing executives unlikely to be charged over 737 MAX crashes, source says

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, US 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 US 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. The Justice Department has until July 7 to inform a federal judge in Texas of its plans. Boeing has said it believes it has "honored the terms of the agreement" and looks forward to responding to the Justice Department.<br/>