Former CapRadio GM Jun Reina criminally charged

[michael hagerty]

I think you came off as knowledgeable but not a know-it-all, Mike.

Thanks, K.M.

 

[michael hagerty]

New reporting from the Sacramento Bee on how former CapRadio GM Jun Reina allegedly spent the money and covered his tracks, including---and this answers some earlier questions---a fraudulent scheme to show expenses for tower maintenance that was never performed. Essential pull-quote:

Reina went to great lengths to hide his conduct — actions contained in piles of ledgers and files [Sacramento County Sheriff's Detective Monica] Bustamante pored over, she said.

When charging what appeared to be personal transactions to CapRadio, Reina altered internal records so that the charges appeared to be legitimate to the business, Bustamante said.

Reina also forged documents tied to a local broadcast tower contractor, Magnum Towers, prosecutors alleged in the criminal complaint. The alleged fraud surfaced when CapRadio’s external auditors requested supporting documentation for a large charge, Bustamante said.

The receipt for work on the tower was “manipulated,” she added.

The forensic complexity of Bustamante’s often solitary detective work contributed to a 21-month delay in what many believed would be a prosecution.

https://archive.ph/jNsZu#selection-3239.0-3255.147

 

[CTListener]

Yikes, sounds like a guy who deserved his perp walk, no matter his ethnicity or that of his walkers. Thanks for all the additional background, even though I'm sorry for bringing that angle up.

 

[KilowattKat]

Of course, I had to look it up. In case you're interested:

Feds arrest Arizona man for stealing Native group’s PTFP money

An Arizona man with a background in Native radio faces federal civil and criminal charges for using a federal grant for personal expenses rather than its intended purpose — starting a radio station for two Navajo organizations. An indictment filed March 27 in the District of Arizona U.S...

current.org

Dave B.

The Navajo Nation tribal government is riddled with fraud and corruption. They are trying to impeach the current tribal president for personal misuse of government funds.

But, it appears KGHR overcame this. As they are currently on the air with the full 100,000 watts.

 

[Weiserguy]

Yep. You didn't express an opinion at all, in fact:

SacBee investigation of CapRadio scandal

In today's editions. Essential pull-quote: CapRadio’s Board of Directors, Sacramento State and the CSU system had policy failures that delayed detection of Reina’s spending. They failed to prevent or stop questionable transactions that documents show to have occurred for about six years. Here...

radiodiscussions.com

That was actually me. Mea culpa, I'm glad I was wrong and they finally took action. There's no excuse to treat white collar crimes with restitution and a slap on the wrist.

 

[michael hagerty]

That was actually me. Mea culpa, I'm glad I was wrong and they finally took action. There's no excuse to treat white collar crimes with restitution and a slap on the wrist.

There are still some questions, though---it took three months from the Sheriff's Office recommending prosecution until the arrest warrant was issued by the D.A., and 65 days for Reina to turn himself in. I don't get that at ALL, and am hoping to hear some 'splainin'.

 

[ted chittenden]

There are still some questions, though---it took three months from the Sheriff's Office recommending prosecution until the arrest warrant was issued by the D.A., and 65 days for Reina to turn himself in. I don't get that at ALL, and am hoping to hear some 'splainin'.

One thing to keep in mind is that when a sheriff recommends prosecution, that may not actually be enough for prosecution to occur. Why? One of the big reasons is that prosecutors need to make sure, before any prosecution begins, that they have enough evidence to convict *and* to keep those convictions when the defense attorney appeals the case.

One of the things I'm more interested in regarding the Cap Radio situation is will the station, after the behavior of Mr. Reina *and* the later removal of CPB funds, be able to keep its news and classical networks afloat over any length of time.

 

[michael hagerty]

One of the things I'm more interested in regarding the Cap Radio situation is will the station, after the behavior of Mr. Reina *and* the later removal of CPB funds, be able to keep its news and classical networks afloat over any length of time.

Ted, I would think the answer would be yes. The CPB is a problem for all public media. As to the damage Reina is charged with causing, as I mentioned yesterday, CapRadio has fraud insurance, and it paid the station the $1.3 million he's accused of embezzling. The insurance company now takes CapRadio's place in the civil suit, but essentially, the station has been made whole and the expensive downtown studio building project was cancelled more than two years ago. It's now a shared working space:

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