Former top US diplomat sentenced in Qatar lobbying scheme
By ALAN SUDERMAN and JIM MUSTIAN
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former top U.S. ambassador has been sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay a $93,350 fine for improperly helping a wealthy Persian Gulf country influence U.S. policy and for not disclosing gifts he received from a disgraced political fundraiser. Richard G. Olson, the State Department’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the end of the Obama administration, pleaded guilty last year to providing aid and advice to Qatar while working for Imaad Zuberi, a once prolific political donor whose illegal contributions gave him access to top U.S. officials, including then-Vice President Joe Biden.