VALLEY STREAM, L.I. — The mother of 8-year-old Thomas Valva, who froze to death in his father’s garage on Jan. 17—amid evidence the boy had been beaten in the household—wants to know why thousands of dollars were being deposited in the dad’s bank accounts in recent years.
Justyna Valva said she had fears her children were being sexually abused and made a complaint to Nassau County Police in 2016. She said the boys told her they had been “recorded naked with a black camera.”
Valva also showed PIX11 copies of Chase bank records belonging to her ex-husband, Michael Valva. She received the documents as part of her divorce and family court cases.
The records appear to show large deposits, some made at ATMs and dating back to 2017, with sums varying from $19,000 to $40,000.
The large deposits are troublesome considering Michael Valva made his living as a New York City Transit police officer, according to the mother.
PIX11 is attempting to reach out to the attorney representing Michael Valva and his fiancée, Angela Pollina. Both have been charged with murder in 8-year-old Thomas Valva’s death.
More disturbing details are emerging about the boy’s final night alive.
Police said Thomas Valva was forced to sleep in a freezing garage, where the temperature was 19 degrees. That night, he kept falling to the ground whenever he attempted to stand, allegedly prompting his older brother to ask the father what was wrong.
Thomas Valva was living with his father, Pollina, his two other brothers and Pollina’s three daughters at the time.
Justyna Valva, an NYC Correction Officer, said she last saw her boys on Jan. 14, 2018, when a Suffolk County judge granted custody to the police officer father.
Within three months, a letter from the East Moriches School District, which she provided to PIX11, indicated the boys were being severely neglected.
“The letter was just breaking my heart,” the mother said through tears. “The children were coming to school extremely hungry, looking for food on the classroom floor, in the garbage,” Valva said.
“Dirty, with urine on their bodies, with [a] foul odor on their bodies. The children were wearing diapers,” she added.
Valva said her ex-husband filed for divorce on Dec. 30, 2015, when their boys were 2, 4 and 6 years old.
“He abandoned me and the children” Valva said.
The mother said she started a Twitter account called “Stand Against Child Abuse,” where she has posted recordings in which she said her ex-husband could be heard brainwashing the children against their mother.
“My kids started saying, ‘Mommy, you’re mean,'” she said.
Justyna Valva was just reunited with her two surviving sons last Wednesday, two days before Michael Valva and Pollina were charged in the murder of 8-year-old Thomas Valva.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone on Monday announced a full “top to bottom” internal review of the case and the Department of Social Services.
Bellone also announced a new external task force to review all Child Protective Services policies and procedures as they relate to children with autism and other developmental disabilities.
