Richard Olson, a former US ambassador to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, received a three-year probation sentence for violating federal ethics laws. The court also fined him $93,400 as part of his guilty plea to charges related to the misuse of his official position for personal gain.
Olson, aged 63, served as the US envoy to Pakistan from 2012 to 2015 and pleaded guilty in June of the previous year to making a false statement and violating laws related to lobbying for a foreign government.
The charges against Olson stemmed from allegations that he assisted the government of Qatar in influencing US policymakers shortly after retiring from the State Department in 2016. Federal law prohibits senior officials, such as Olson, from representing foreign governments or advising foreign entities in an attempt to influence the US government for one year after leaving their positions.
The US Attorney’s Office for Washington highlighted Olson’s efforts to conceal these illegal activities, including deleting incriminating emails and providing false information during an FBI interview.
During his tenure as the US envoy to Pakistan, Olson received favors and benefits from a Pakistani-American businessman identified as “Person 1” in court documents. These favors included a $25,000 payment to Olson’s then-girlfriend to assist with her tuition at Columbia University in New York and $18,000 for first-class travel for Olson to attend a job interview in London.
Olson lobbied members of Congress on behalf of the businessman involved in brokering weapon sales to Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries, providing significant support to “Person 1.”
