Radio Station Manager Faces Charges for Allegedly Embezzling $1.3 Million

Authorities have taken into custody the former leader of one of California’s most renowned public radio stations, facing allegations of embezzling over $1.3 million from the nonprofit organization.

Jun Reina, 60, who previously served as general manager of Capital Public Radio, is accused of using the station’s funds to bankroll a lifestyle of luxury overseas travel, fine dining, tuition for college, and extensive home renovations.

Reina’s arrest on serious charges, including embezzlement, grand theft, and forgery, follows claims by prosecutors that he masterminded a prolonged scheme to misappropriate station resources for personal gain, benefiting himself, his wife, and his children.

The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office reports that the alleged misappropriation occurred from December 2016 until June 2022. During this period, Reina is said to have redirected approximately $1.33 million.

The accusations include unauthorized credit card transactions, payments to his personal accounts, and executing over 140 electronic transfers from the station’s bank account to his own.

‘These stolen funds were used to finance luxury international travel, high-end home renovations, tuition for his children and other personal expenses,’ prosecutors said in their charging statement.

Reina turned himself in at the Sacramento County Jail, where sheriff’s deputies released video of him being led away in handcuffs. 

He has been freed after posting $200,000 bail and is scheduled to return to court for arraignment in April.

Jun Reina, 60, was arrested on felony charges of embezzlement, grand theft and forgery in Sacramento

Reina surrendered at the Sacramento County Main Jail and later released on $200,000 bail

Prosecutors allege Reina diverted approximately $1.33 million from Capital Public Radio in Sacramento between 2016 and 2022

Capital Public Radio operates major stations KXJZ-FM (90.9) and KXPR-FM (88.9) and is licensed to Sacramento State University, though it runs as a separate nonprofit.

Reina had been deeply embedded in the organization for more than a decade, first joining in 2007 as chief financial officer, later becoming chief operating officer, and finally ascending to general manager in 2020.

He resigned in 2023 just months before CapRadio was forced to announce layoffs and cancel four long-running music programs as a financial crisis exploded into public view.

A forensic audit commissioned by Sacramento State later concluded that the station lacked even basic internal financial controls and linked Reina to hundreds of thousands of dollars in unsupported spending.

Investigators found at least $460,000 in donor money spent on luxury items without receipts or proper documentation, including fine dining, international hotels and home improvement supplies.

More than $75,000 was allegedly charged to station accounts for home renovation materials alone for his five bedroom, three bathroom house that he purchased for $600,000.

The forensic report, obtained through a public records request, revealed the scale of the alleged lifestyle Reina had managed to fund for himself.

He has been freed after posting $200,000 bail and is scheduled to return to court for arraignment in April

More than $75,000 was allegedly charged to station accounts for home renovations to his five bedroom, three bathroom home that he bought for $600,000

Reina, pictured scuba diving, is accused of using station funds to pay for luxury international vacations in far flun destinations like Fiji, Peru and Dubai

Among the unsupported charges attributed to Reina: 

• $27,000 spent at high-end restaurants 
• $17,000 in golf club membership fees across six clubs 
• $11,260 for a stay at Sacramento’s Kimpton Sawyer Hotel 
• $10,250 for a luxury hotel in St. Maarten 
• $5,100 for flights on Japan’s All Nippon Airways 
• $1,700 for a meal at a Dubai steakhouse 
• $1,500 in Fiji Airways plane tickets 

Social media posts from Reina and his wife during the same period showed them vacationing in Fiji, Peru and Dubai, matching dates from the transaction logs.

Reina’s bio on social media still reads, ‘GM at Capital Public Radio when not golfing.’ 

Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho described the allegations as devastating to public confidence.

‘Nonprofit organizations depend on transparency and accountability,’ Ho said. 

‘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.’

A forensic examination commissioned by Sacramento State and released in 2024 linked Reina to nearly $768,000 in unsupported credit card expenses between 2017 and 2023.

Investigators found additional payments were made directly from station accounts.

The criminal case follows a civil lawsuit filed by CapRadio in 2024 alleging Reina stole at least $900,000.  

That lawsuit ended with a $1.2 million insurance settlement, though the station’s insurer is continuing to pursue litigation against Reina to recover additional losses.

‘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,’ Chris Bruno, the radio station’s chief marketing and revenue officer wrote. 

‘We are grateful for the diligence of local law enforcement and for the loyalty and true goodness of the Sacramento community.’

Reina would often post photos of his lavish vacations to his social media platforms

Reina worked at the station for more than 15 years and became general manager in 2020

Reina’s bio on social media still reads, ‘GM at Capital Public Radio when not golfing’ despite having left several years ago

In earlier court filings, Reina denied wrongdoing and claimed any accounting errors were unintentional, arguing that internal oversight failures at the station were to blame.

Reina made his first court appearance on Monday, arriving surrounded by family. He did not enter a plea. 

Reina surrendered his passport as part of his release conditions.

Outside the courthouse, former CapRadio news anchor Mike Hagerty said seeing his former boss finally answer charges was long overdue.

‘It’s reassuring to see that we are now at the next step of this really sad saga that cost my friends, in many cases, their jobs, that caused a great radio station to go through enormous pain,’ Hagerty said to CapRadio. 

‘Whether his attorney will think that it’s a good idea to go all the way to trial… in the face of the evidence that has been unearthed by those audits, is a call she’s going to have to make.’

Interim general manager Frank Maranzino, who worked under Reina for years, said the revelations were personally devastating.

 Prosecutors say Reina also used station funds to pay college tuition for his children and spent more than $27,000 in high-end restaurant charges 

Forensic auditors found over $460,000 in donor money spent without receipts or expense reports

‘It hurt my heart… it really did,’ Maranzino said. ‘It was nothing I suspected.’

Maranzino said the station has since overhauled its financial systems and strengthened internal controls.

‘We’ve been diligent to right this ship and move forward with integrity,’ he said.

Former CapRadio president Rick Eytcheson, who worked alongside Reina for years, said he was stunned by the allegations.

‘I am completely shocked when confronted with the evidence of misconduct attributed to Jun Reina,’ Eytcheson wrote. 

‘I grieve for the incredible staff and supporters of CapRadio whose trust has apparently been so callously violated.’