A US court sentenced former ambassador Richard Olson to three years.
Of probation and a fine of $93,350 for helping Qatar influence US policy and failing to disclose gifts he received from a wealthy figure. Ordered.
Magistrate Judge Michael Harvey handed down the verdict in Richard Olson's case on Friday, saying that a heavy fine was appropriate for Olson's crimes but he did not need to be sent to prison.
The court sentenced him to three years of probation. Meaning he will not go to jail but will remain under the supervision of a probation officer.
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The American people expect high behavior from a top diplomat and that was not the approach you took, Judge Richard Olsen said.
Richard Olson is accused of helping the Qatari government influence US policy the following year after leaving the State Department in 2016. Not only this. He was also accused of not revealing the gifts received from the American businessman Imad Zubari.
Former US ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olsen ready to accept the charge of illegal lobbying
The former US ambassador was indicted on both charges last year.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Olson deleted several emails to cover up his wrongdoing and lied to the FBI.
Prosecutors said Richard Olson helped lobby members of Congress to approve arms sales to foreign countries and admitted to first-class travel with Imad Zubari.
The prosecutor insisted to the judge that Richard Olsen had refused to take responsibility for his wrongdoing and should be sent to prison to send a clear message to other top diplomats.
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The prosecutor said that if people were allowed to believe that the laws did not apply to them, they would do the same.
Richard Olsen's attorney maintained that his client never did anything wrong in an official capacity to help Imad Zubari and that prosecutors were stretching the facts by creating unnecessary narratives.
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