Richard Olson, the former US envoy to Pakistan, who served in that role from 2012 to 2015, was sentenced on Friday to three years of probation and ordered to pay $93,400 in fines. This comes as a result of his violation of so-called “revolving door” laws. These laws prohibit individuals from lobbying for foreign governments within one year of retiring from federal service and require full transparency on such activities in ethics paperwork.
During the sentencing, the 63-year-old expressed remorse, stating to Judge G Michael Harvey, “I have paid a very heavy price for the mistakes that I made.” He went on to describe how he had suffered both professionally and personally, losing his reputation and income.
During the hearing on Friday, the prosecution accused Olson, who had been embroiled in various controversies, of consistently evading accountability by attributing his actions to mere “paperwork errors.”
Among the scandals Olson was implicated in, but not prosecuted for, were allegations of engaging in multiple extramarital affairs and his decision to withhold four pieces of diamond jewelry valued at $60,000 during his tenure as the head of the US Consulate in Dubai.
