Jennifer Knopp knew something was wrong when her $4.4 million share of her mother’s estate never arrived.
It wasn’t until she made calls from her Florida home that she learned money accrued over decades through her family’s ownership of Greensburg Beverage had been disbursed as part of a plan she reportedly approved by telephone during a court hearing in December 2022.
That hearing, and her alleged participation in it, was news to Knopp.
“I was devastated,” Knopp said Friday after watching her sister and niece plead guilty to stealing her portion of what she said was originally a $22 million estate. “This has destroyed our family.”
Knopp’s mother, Bette Iannuzzo, took over as CEO of Greensburg Beverage in 2013 when her husband of 28 years, G. Lewis “Sonny” Iannuzzo, died. Bette Iannuzzo died in 2017.
Knopp’s sister, Lisa Valesky, 52, and her daughter, Angela Valesky, 28, pleaded guilty Friday to counts of perjury and theft.
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Michael Stewart II ordered the women to serve a sentence of slightly less than one to two years in jail, followed by 18 years of probation. The Valeskys were immediately granted parole; they had been in custody since their arrest in January 2025 in lieu of $1 million bond.
In return for their freedom, the judge ordered them to transfer to Knopp ownership of homes bought by Lisa Valesky in Hempfield and Jeannette, nearly $900,000 held in two frozen bank accounts, $30,000 sitting in a doctor’s escrow account and the title to a 2023 Lincoln Navigator. Angela Valesky was ordered to transfer to Knopp the deed to a home in Export and her interest in a Somerset County property.
Failure to comply with the asset transfers within 30 days could result in the Valeskys’ return to jail, the judge said.
Assistant District Attorney Jim Lazar said prosecutors will calculate the values of the assets to offset the more than $4.4 million in restitution owed to Knopp. The probation terms can be shortened to 10 years if full restitution is made by then, Lazar said.
Both women told the judge it was in their best interest to plead guilty and agreed to the repayment plan. They declined further comment. At Knopp’s request, the Valeskys were also ordered to have no contact with other family members.
“This was all very shocking. It was like a punch in the head,” Knopp said. “I fainted when I heard it was that much money that was stolen. I don’t want to talk to my sister again. She’s dangerous.”
Knopp lived in Florida during the final years of her mother’s life. Back in Pennsylvania, her sister served as their mother’s guardian, helped facilitate the sale of the family business in 2019, and destroyed their mother’s will, according to Knopp. Lisa Valesky also was named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit over the estate’s administration.
Court records show a $3.5 million judgment was previously filed against Lisa Valesky for what her sister says represented her share of the inheritance. Knopp, another surviving sibling and two nieces were slated to receive equal payouts from the estate.
Authorities said that during the court hearing to finalize the payout, Lisa Valesky posed as her sister in a phone call and authorized a Pittsburgh lawyer to accept the money on her behalf. Prosecutors said the lawyer then set up a joint account for Lisa and Angela Valesky to access the funds.
“I still love my sister,” Knopp said, “but she’s an evil genius.”