A former U.S. Census Bureau supervisor from Upper Marlboro is headed to federal prison after prosecutors say she turned a government contract into a family cash machine.
Camille T. Jones, a onetime supervisory official at the Census Bureau’s Upper Marlboro office, was sentenced to two years in federal prison and ordered to forfeit her illicit gains after admitting she steered a multimillion-dollar contract to a relative’s company in exchange for roughly $790,000 in kickbacks. Prosecutors say she backdated a sham consulting agreement, passed along confidential procurement information and helped another family member collect about $83,000 for work that was largely performed by Jones herself.
U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby handed down the sentence on July 16, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland. The office said Jones pleaded guilty on April 2 to conspiracy to commit bribery and honest-services fraud, and that prosecutors also secured an order requiring her to forfeit the proceeds of the scheme.
Local reporting helps fill in the money trail. As WMAR-2 News reports, the subcontract went to YMJ Consulting, a firm owned by Jones’s relative, Yolanda M. Jones. Camille Jones then collected kickbacks while signing and backdating a phony service agreement meant to disguise the payments. Prosecutors say both women signed that agreement in 2024, then backdated it to 2020, before investigators recovered the records.
How prosecutors say the scheme worked
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland, Jones steered an employee-assistance program contract, along with later contract modifications, to a prime contractor and to YMJ Consulting, then received kickbacks from YMJ and from Yolanda Jones. Prosecutors say she also shared confidential procurement information with a separate contractor that later put another of her relatives on the payroll for about $83,000 in pay for minimal work, most of which Jones actually performed herself.
Legal implications and next steps
Jones pleaded guilty in April and faced up to five years in prison, according to federal court filings. She ultimately received two years in custody followed by one year of supervised release, with restitution and forfeiture included in the judgment, as reported by Federal Newswire. Her relative, Yolanda M. Jones, pled guilty on Aug. 14, 2025 and is awaiting sentencing.
Investigators and oversight
Prosecutors credited the investigative work of the Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General, underscoring how agency watchdogs try to keep procurement fraud from siphoning off taxpayer money. For more on that oversight role, see the Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General.
The case closes what prosecutors described as a family-tied pay-to-play scheme that subverted federal contracting rules and diverted funds away from the public purpose of the work. Jones must report to federal custody, and a sentencing date for Yolanda Jones will be set by the court at a later time.
