The Justice Department may drop its criminal prosecution of Boeing Co. for allegedly misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 Max before two of the jets crashed and killed all 346

The Justice Department and Boeing could strike a deal that would avoid the company entering a guilty plea or prosecution. Boeing previously agreed to plead guilty to criminal fraud last year after the Biden Justice Department found the aerospace giant violated a 2021 agreement.

The Justice Department advised families of victims of two 737 Max crashes that it was considering a plan to drop a previous agreement under which Boeing would have pleaded guilty.