At the height of the nationwide salmonella outbreak nearly a year ago, FBI agents raided two peanut plants and carried away boxes of evidence. FDA inspectors found roaches, mold and a leaky roof. Then, Congress revealed e-mails from the peanut company's top executive that seemed to suggest the pursuit of profits over ensuring public safety.

Despite the fanfare over the criminal probe of one of the largest product recalls ever, no one has yet been charged in the outbreak, which was linked to hundreds of illnesses and nine deaths.

Federal prosecutions in food-illness outbreaks are rare, but food safety experts and legal analysts say the salmonella investigation seemed as cut-and-dry as any case.

After all, investigators said the head of the company at the center of the probe fired off e-mails to employees amid reports salmonella had been detected in his products to "turn them loose" and said the business "desperately" needed to turn raw peanuts into money.

Nine months after the e-mails were made public by a U.S. House panel, prosecutors have been tightlipped on whether executives with Peanut Corp. of America will face charges, infuriating relatives of those sickened by the salmonella.

"I thought prosecutions were a no-brainer," said Lou Tousignant, whose 78-year-old father died in January from salmonella poisoning after eating tainted peanut butter in his nursing home.

"It seems like it's been forgotten. That's kind of how the country ebbs and flows - it's in the news for a while, then everything quiets down."

Food safety prosecutions typically lead to fines against companies rather than prison time, and experts and attorneys sensed criminal charges could be imminent in the salmonella case.

"It does surprise me," said Creighton Magid, a Washington-based products liability attorney who is often on the defense side.

The outbreak was traced to the company's peanut plant in Blakely, Ga., where Food and Drug Administration inspectors found roaches and mold while trying to figure out the source of the salmonella.