CapRadio receives almost $1.3 million insurance payout amid civil case against former GM

CapRadio has received a million-dollar insurance settlement related to financial misconduct allegations made against former General Manager Jun Reina.

Lawyers for the public media station filed a civil suit against Reina, identified as Fidias “Jun” Reina in documents, last December in Yolo County Superior Court. The lawsuit accuses the former executive of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in station funds for lavish personal expenses, and misusing company credit cards for personal expenditures.

The insurance settlement was first reported by The Sacramento Bee.

Chris Bruno, CapRadio’s Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer, said Monday the station submitted a claim under its Fraud Protector Insurance Policy to recover money allegedly stolen by Reina from at least December 2016 until February 2023.

Reina was hired by CapRadio, which is licensed to Sacramento State, in 2007 as its chief financial officer. He added chief operating officer to his title in 2013 and was subsequently promoted in 2020 to executive vice president and general manager. Reina resigned in June 2023. 

“CapRadio’s insurers reviewed the claim and CapRadio’s documentation supporting the claim, and they agreed to indemnify CapRadio for the loss under the insurance policy,” Bruno wrote, noting the total settlement amount is $1,281,394. 

The CapRadio board of directors approved a memorandum of understanding with the station’s insurance company during their Aug. 20 meeting, according to meeting minutes. Bruno said the payment has since been made.

CapRadio’s lawsuit sought at least $900,000 in damages from Reina. It also called for his West Sacramento home to be put in a trust. The suit said Reina had made more than $100,000 in improvements to using station credit cards. The property was put up for sale last year but the listing was later removed.

CapRadio File Photo

Bruno confirmed that the civil case is still ongoing, saying that the station’s insurers will take CapRadio’s place, “and continue the civil action to recover the monies allegedly stolen by Mr. Reina.”

“This outcome is a reflection of CapRadio’s tireless effort to hold those accountable for alleged financial crimes against our supporters,” Bruno wrote.

Mention of settlement negotiations in the civil case emerged in an August court conference between attorneys representing Reina and CapRadio. Reina’s attorney Adam Ramirez characterized the negotiations at the time as “fruitful.” 

CapRadio has reached out to Reina’s legal team for comment about the insurance settlement. In a March filing Reina’s attorneys denied their client made any mistakes but said that “if an error was made” it was “made in good faith and unintentional.”

The next court date in the civil trial is scheduled for April 27, 2026.

Audits, examinations and investigations

News of the insurance settlement comes following a damning series of audits and forensic investigations into CapRadio, released after CapRadio laid off 12% of its staff and canceled four music shows in August 2023. The reports largely focused on Reina’s tenure at the helm.

An initial September 2023 audit by the California State University Chancellor’s Office found years of significant financial mismanagement at CapRadio. 

In August 2024, a forensic examination commissioned by Sac State and prepared by the Roseville-based accounting firm CliftonLarsonAllen found over $760,000 in “unsupported payments” were paid out to CapRadio employees. Around $460,000 went to one station executive, which CapRadio’s independent reporting team identified as Reina.

The CSU Chancellor’s Office is scheduled to conduct another audit of CapRadio in January.

Law enforcement has also been looking into Reina for potential criminal charges.

In August the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office submitted its investigation into the former CapRadio GM to the county District Attorney’s Office. A sheriff’s spokesperson did not specify the individual targeted to the probe, but the Sheriff’s Office previously confirmed it was investigating Reina.

The case is focused on two charges, embezzlement and grand theft, connected to “the unauthorized use of Cap Radio [sic] funds for personal gain.”

Disclosure: This story was reported and written by CapRadio Senior Producer Sarit Laschinsky. It was edited by Sally Longenecker. Senior Editor Jen Picard contributed reporting. 

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.