Former CapRadio GM Jun Reina charged with embezzling $1.3M from station

Jun Reina, former EVP and GM of CapRadio in Sacramento, Calif., was arrested Thursday and charged with embezzlement.

The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint against Reina for felony counts of embezzlement, grand theft and forgery in connection with his role overseeing CapRadio’s financial operations, according to a news release.

Reina joined CapRadio in 2007 as CFO and later served as CFO/COO. He became the station’s leader in 2020 and announced in 2023 that he was leaving the organization.

The news release said that between Dec. 6, 2016, and June 12, 2022, Reina “orchestrated a multi-year scheme to divert organizational funds for personal use,” misappropriating “approximately $1.33 million through unauthorized credit card charges, payments to personal credit card accounts, and 144 ACH transfers from Capital Public Radio’s bank account to his own account.”

The release added that Reina “concealed these transactions through deceptive accounting practices, manipulated financial statements, and forged documents. These stolen funds were used to finance luxury international travel, high-end home renovations, tuition for his children, and other personal expenses.”

Investigations by the Sacramento County sheriff’s office and district attorney’s office led to Reina’s arrest. The sheriff’s office posted videos on social media of Reina turning himself in at the Sacramento County Main Jail and being taken into custody.

In a post on X, the sheriff’s office said its property crimes detectives were notified in January 2024 of possible embezzlement involving the station. After a “routine audit” conducted by CapRadio revealed missing funds, the property crimes detectives launched the investigation.

“These charges allege a serious breach of trust,” said Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho. “Nonprofit organizations depend on transparency and accountability. When someone entrusted with financial oversight is alleged to exploit that position for personal gain, it undermines public confidence and harms the community the organization serves.”

“This is a full circle moment for CapRadio, for our supporters and for the community that stood by us,” said Chris Bruno, CapRadio’s chief marketing and revenue officer, in an email to Current. “After two years of restoring trust, strengthening our finances and ensuring accountability for past wrongs, the recent criminal charges against Jun Reina are an affirmation of our relentless pursuit of the truth under new leadership. We are grateful for the diligence of local law enforcement and for the loyalty and support of the Sacramento community.”

In July 2024, CapRadio announced that a forensic investigation uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in unsupported payments. An unredacted version of the forensic analysis named Reina as the individual who had received more than $460,000 of the unsupported payments.

CapRadio filed a lawsuit against Reina in January 2025 seeking at least $900,000 in damages. CapRadio has since received an insurance payout of nearly $1.3 million after filing a claim for fraud, according to Bruno. The insurers will substitute into the pending lawsuit in CapRadio’s place and continue the civil action to recover the monies allegedly stolen by Reina.

This article has been updated with a statement from CapRadio and information about the insurance payout to the station.