After more than a year, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office has submitted its investigation into former CapRadio General Manager Jun Reina for potential criminal charges.
Sergeant Amar Gandhi, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, confirmed to CapRadio the case was submitted to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office Aug. 28. Gandhi said the case is focused on two charges, embezzlement and grand theft, connected to “the unauthorized use of Cap Radio [sic] funds for personal gain.”
A spokesperson for the DA’s office also confirmed prosecutors are reviewing the case.
Gandhi did not specify to CapRadio the individual targeted by the probe, but the Sheriff’s Office confirmed last August it was investigating Reina.
Reina was hired by CapRadio in 2007 as its chief financial officer. He added the role of chief operating officer in 2012, and was promoted in 2020 to executive vice president and general manager. He resigned from CapRadio in June 2023.
Chris Bruno, CapRadio’s Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer, said in a statement station management is “pleased that the criminal investigation into wrongdoings that have impacted CapRadio, our members and the community is moving forward.”
The financial backdrop
The criminal investigation is the latest development following the release of a series of damning audits and forensic examinations into the public media station, which were released in 2023 and 2024. Those reports largely focused on Reina’s time at CapRadio’s helm.
The initial September 2023 audit by the California State University Chancellor’s Office found years of significant financial mismanagement at CapRadio, an auxiliary of Sac State. It also came a month after CapRadio laid off 12% of its staff and canceled four music shows.
An August 2024 forensic examination prepared by Roseville-based accounting firm CliftonLarsonAllen and commissioned by Sac State found over $760,000 in “unsupported payments,” that were not backed up by receipts or expense reports, which were paid out to CapRadio employees.
Some $460,000 of those payments were made to one station executive, which CapRadio’s independent reporting team identified as Reina.
CapRadio filed a civil suit against its former General Manager last December in Yolo County Superior Court, accusing Reina of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in station funds for secret personal enrichment.
Jun Reina (CapRadio)
The lawsuit alleges Reina, identified as Fidias “Jun” Reina, transferred over $370,000 in station funds to his personal accounts from 2017 until his resignation in 2023. He is also accused of using corporate credit cards for lavish personal expenses including international travel and vacations, golf course fees, college tuition for his children, personal groceries and alcohol, among others.
Reina is accused of giving himself exclusive access and control over the cards, without the knowledge or authority of CapRadio’s board of directors.
The suit also accuses Reina of using CapRadio credit cards to pay for more than $100,000 in improvements to his West Sacramento home. This property was put up for sale last year, but the listing was later removed.
CapRadio is seeking at least $900,000 in damages from Reina, and for the home to be placed in a trust.
Reina’s attorney Adam Ramirez said in a March filing his client denies making any mistakes, but added that “if an error was made” it was “made in good faith and unintentional.”
Reporters have reached out to Reina’s attorneys in his civil case for comment regarding the filing of the criminal investigation.
A possible settlement
In August, attorneys for CapRadio and Reina announced during a court conference that a settlement in the civil case is in progress.
Ramirez told Judge Timothy Fall that negotiations “have been very fruitful,” and said “I think we’re just about at the point where we might be able to make a deal in the case.”
CapRadio attorney Jonathan Hsieh also confirmed both sides were approaching a settlement.
Ramirez also said Reina would not be able to respond to the discovery process in the case due to a “parallel criminal investigation,” specifically noting his client’s Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
The next hearing date in the civil case is scheduled for April 27.
Disclosure: This story was reported and written by CapRadio Senior Producer Sarit Laschinsky. It was edited by Editor Sally Longenecker.
Following NPR’s protocol for reporting on itself, no CapRadio corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted or broadcast.
You can read our independent ongoing coverage of financial issues at Capital Public Radio here.
Editor’s note: CapRadio is licensed to Sacramento State, which is also an underwriter.
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