Richard Gustave Olson Jr. (born 1959[2]) is an American diplomat and career Foreign Service officer, who formerly served as the United States ambassador to Pakistan.

[6] Olson joined the U.S. State Department in 1982, and served tenures in Mexico, Uganda, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Iraq, and three tours in the United Arab Emirates.

[10] The State Department's Office of Inspector General investigated Olson's failure to report a $60,000 gift of diamond jewelry to his mother-in-law from the emir of Dubai.

Zuberi was subsequently sentenced to twelve years in prison for unrelated criminal tax evasion, campaign finance violations, and other charges.

[5] In June 2022, Olson pleaded guilty to federal charges for his role in a lobbying campaign involving the Qatari government and for failure to disclose receiving an $18,000 first-class ticket to fly to London for a job interview with a Persian Gulf investment firm while he was serving as U.S. ambassador to Pakistan.