A former U.S. ambassador to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates has been criminally charged for his alleged role in an illegal lobbying campaign for the Qatari government, according to Axios.
Richard Olson, a career foreign service officer who served as an ambassador under President Barack Obama, has been accused of soliciting foreign work while in office, along with unlawfully using political influence to "advance Qatari interests in Washington (D.C.)" after his time in the public sector.
The Justice Department has charged Olson with the misdemeanor-level crimes of making false statements in ethics paperwork and violating laws restricting foreign lobbying by ex-federal officials.
According to court documents cited by Axios, Olson intends to plead guilty.
Federal law prohibits senior U.S. officials from participating in any lobbying or public relations efforts on behalf of foreign governments within a year of leaving office.
For example, according to Axios, Pakistani-American businessman Imaad Zuberi, who previously worked with the Qatari government, was sentenced to 12 years in prison last year for a broad scheme of illicit influence peddling, tax evasion, and illegal campaign contributions.
And last year, federal prosecutors charged former Trump inauguration chairman Tom Barrack with failing to disclose advocacy on behalf of the United Arab Emirates government.
Barrack has since pleaded not guilty.
In Olson's case, a recent criminal information filing reveals he allegedly received $20,000 monthly payments from an unnamed Pakistani-American lobbyist for the work, according to Axios.
The unspecified work apparently occurred "either just prior to, or shortly after" Olson left government service.
Also, Axios reports that Olson was offered a contract worth $300,000 annually by an unidentified Bahraini businessperson, according to the DOJ.
It's unknown whether Olson accepted the offer.
Late in 2016, shortly after Donald Trump became president-elect, Olson allegedly worked with his Pakistani-American contact, along with high-level Qatari government officials, to further Doha's interests in Washington, D.C.
Olson has not been charged with violating the United States' Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), despite never registering as a foreign agent of Qatar.