A New York financier accused of raping a 14-year-old girl looks drastically different after spending a year behind bars.
Just a year ago, Michael Olson appeared in court clean-shaven, with a crew cut and a youthful appearance, but on Tuesday he looked dramatically different after spending a year in prison.
The 55-year-old financier appeared gaunt, with a long, untrimmed gray beard and his once cropped hair now flowing in waves to his neck as he appeared twice his age during a court appearance in Manhattan Supreme Court.
And Olsen will find no solace in the court proceedings, as her insanity declaration was overturned after two doctors became suspicious of her claims.
Olson will now be transferred back to Rikers Island from the mental health facility where he was held while he undergoes another evaluation.
The alleged rapist had previously pleaded guilty by reason of insanity.
Assistant District Attorney John Fuller read a letter Olson had written to his family in court detailing his plans to deceive the justice system.
Just a year ago, Michael Olson showed up in court clean-shaven, with a crew cut and a youthful appearance, but on Tuesday he had made a drastic change after spending a year in jail.
The 55-year-old financier appeared gaunt with a long, untrimmed gray beard and his once-short hair now flowing in waves to his neck as he appeared twice his age during an appearance in Manhattan Supreme Court.
“I have never explained until now what I have been doing here, what the plan is. Right now I have been offered a sentence of 15 years, but if I can opt for psychiatric treatment, then it could be much less, perhaps as little as six years,” he wrote to his family.
She told her family her first step was to “stop making phone calls” in February because she feared District Attorney Alvin Briggs was listening to all her calls and “could use them against me if I sounded too normal.”
Her second step was to make sure he looked crazy in his mental health evaluation so he could be sent to a psychiatric facility instead of Rikers, but she pointed out to his family that he could be “sent back to Rikers (at) any time if he behaved too normally.”
“I’ve been looking into it quite a bit and I have a plan to stay put, but there are no guarantees,” he wrote. “The benefit, if the plan works, is that after six years the charges against me would be dismissed. So I would have no criminal record.”
In addition to having no criminal record at the time of his release, Olson told his family that another reason for being declared insane would be the prospect that a psychiatric facility would be “safer” than Rikers or prison.
He said he believed it had been “worth it overall” to sacrifice his calls to his family and only write down the important details, as he believed the system only “tracked” his letter but did not read the content.
Olsen will not be comfortable with the court proceedings, which saw his insanity declaration overturned after two doctors became suspicious of his claims. Olson will now be moved back to Rikers Island from the mental health facility where he was held while he undergoes another evaluation.
The alleged rapist had previously pleaded guilty by reason of insanity. Deputy District Attorney John Fuller also read a letter Olson had written to his family in court, in which Olson detailed his plans to deceive the justice system.
“I have never explained until now what I have been doing here, what the plan is. Right now I have been offered a sentence of 15 years, but if I can opt for a psychiatric path, then it could be much less, perhaps as little as six years,” he wrote to his family.
“It took the sacrifice of not making calls, which, believe me, has been difficult,” he wrote. “I would never have thought of doing something like that, but the difference in time and not having a history is too big to ignore.”
Olson is accused of targeting young Asian women on Instagram, specifically anyone who posted about not being able to afford clothes or self-harm.
He has been charged with multiple offenses against a boy who was found in a hotel room with him in Midtown Manhattan in May 2023 after overdosing on ketamine, cocaine and Xanax. Olson was there but told police the drugs were “gifts.”
According to police, Olson stored a screenshot of the New York City public school calendar on his phone.
“The benefit, if the plan works, is that after six years the charges against me would be dismissed. So I would have no criminal record,” he wrote in the letter.
There were also records of pickups and drop-offs from elementary and secondary schools in New York City.
Prosecutors say he kept a spreadsheet detailing the drugs he gave the girls and who he texted.
The girl he was found with at the hotel had also been on a trip with him, traveling to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami.
Prosecutors said he pretended to be his daughter on the trips to avoid suspicion.
In May, emergency medical services were called to a hotel room where the boy had overdosed.
That’s how police first found Olson, who was also in the room.
