The City of Worcester paid more than $250,000 to a lawyer who pushed back on the Department of Justice's findings in its investigation of the Worcester Police Department.

Brian T. Kelly, a former federal prosecutor who slammed the report as rushed and unfair on the day of its release, has been paid $259,429 since February 2023, according to city records.

The so-called pattern or practice probe into the Worcester police, announced in December, has yet to result in such a binding court agreement. Changes at the U.S. Attorney's Office It was not immediately clear Thursday whether the Justice Department would cease all follow-up on the Worcester report.

A Worcester spokesperson confirmed with MassLive that there have been no changes with respect to negotiations with the federal Department of Justice (DOJ) over a damning report about the city’s police department,