Key Points
- Sacramento prosecutors charged former CapRadio GM Jun Reina with embezzling about $1.33 million from two university-licensed public radio stations.
- Authorities allege he used station funds for luxury travel, home renovations and personal expenses over several years.
- The arrest follows audits, a civil lawsuit and a $1.2 million insurance recovery tied to the alleged misconduct.
Police in Sacramento have arrested the former general manager of two public radio stations licensed to the California State University system in that city.
On Thursday, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office announced embezzlement charges against Jun Reina, who served as the general manager of KXJZ (90.9 FM) and KXPR (88.9 FM), collectively known as CapRadio.
In a statement, county prosecutors said Reina “orchestrated a multi-year scheme” between December 2016 and June 2022. Prosecutors allege Reina misappropriated approximately $1.33 million through unauthorized credit card charges, payments to personal credit card accounts and 144 automated clearing house transfers from CapRadio’s bank account to his own.
The District Attorney’s Office said the alleged misuse of funds paid for luxury international travel, high-end home renovations, tuition for Reina’s children and other personal expenses. Reina turned himself in at the Sacramento County Main Jail, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, which released video of Reina in handcuffs on social media. Online jail records showed he was not listed as being in custody later Thursday afternoon.
The radio broadcaster has been under internal scrutiny from its own employees and university officials after reports surfaced that Reina and other executives had misappropriated funds for years.
A forensic examination commissioned by Sacramento State and released in 2024 linked Reina to at least $460,800 in donor funds spent on international travel, fine dining and home renovations that were not supported by expense reports or receipts. The same review later identified nearly $768,000 in unsupported credit card expenses between 2017 and 2023, along with additional payments made directly from station accounts, and concluded that the station lacked basic internal financial controls.
In a statement, CapRadio’s Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer Chris Bruno described the arrest as a “full circle moment” for the station and its supporters following years of financial instability.
“After two years of restoring trust, strengthening our finances and ensuring accountability for past wrongs, today’s criminal charges against Jun Reina are an affirmation of our relentless pursuit of the truth under new leadership,” Bruno said.
The criminal case follows a civil lawsuit filed by CapRadio in December 2024 that alleged Reina siphoned at least $900,000 from the station over roughly a decade to pay for luxury travel, home renovations and other personal expenses.
As part of that civil matter, the station received a $1.2 million insurance settlement under its fraud protection policy. Station officials said the insurer continues to pursue litigation on Capital Public Radio’s behalf.
Before the civil settlement, Reina denied wrongdoing in court filings, arguing any errors were unintentional and that statutes of limitations had expired. Prosecutors said the criminal charges stem from an investigation launched in early 2024 and called the alleged conduct a serious breach of trust.
CapRadio serves as the Sacramento-area member station of NPR.
