'I Want To Go Kill Him': Charlene Port Allegedly Threatened And Doxed Former Fertility Doctor, But Case On Hold
(CBS4) - A Colorado woman who allegedly sent threatening, antisemitic letters to her former fertility doctor more than a decade after her treatments ended was scheduled to stand trial on stalking and bias-motivated felony charges in Weld County this month.
A Weld County judge put a halt to the legal proceedings Thursday while the woman undergoes a mental health evaluation.
Charlene Port, 51, is accused of threatening Dr. Eric Silverstein, whom she last saw for treatment in 2005.
Port believes Silverstein sold her embryos on the black market, according to case documents.
Silverstein denied the accusation in a phone interview with CBS4.
"It occurred to me pretty early that she was on one side of the bell-shaped curve. But I didn't see this coming," Silverstein added. "She would ask questions that were strange, but you don't want to upset (the patient)."
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by CBS4, Silverstein notified the Erie Police Department of Port's activity on February 19, 2020, the day after he received a letter from Port with the following message: "You best watch your back along with your female c*** colleagues that helped you do your crimes. ... YOU WILL PAY FOR F**KING WITH MY FAMILY BASTARD (anti-Semitic obscenity)."
The affidavit indicates Port stepped up her personal attacks later that same month after a complaint she filed with the state against Silverstein was dismissed. The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) contacted the Erie Police Department on February 28, 2020, regarding voicemails left allegedly by Port in which the caller stated "I want to go kill him" and mentioned a "shooting spree."
Port is also accused of using social media to "dox" her doctor, or release his private information to the public.
On March 1, 2020, Erie detectives found a Facebook page titled "Fertility Fraud in Colorado" with Silverstein's personal information publicly shown. The Facebook page had been created the previous day.
Detectives found another Facebook page titled "Talk of the Talmud" which featured Silverstein's personal information.
"All of these pages made similar, if not identical, posts regarding Eric and fertility fraud on an almost daily basis," the arrest affidavit stated. "Eric's personal information, including addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, family information, and photographs of Eric, his family, and his home, were also posted."
In response to the threats, Erie PD increased patrols near Silverstein's home.
Port, in response to the stepped-up security, wrote in a letter to Silverstein, "HOW LONG DO YOU THINK THOSE DUMB PIGS ARE ABLE TO PROTECT YOU ERIC?"
The following month, Silverstein received a suspicious package at his residence, according to the affidavit. The local bomb squad took possession of it and found it contained a stuffed pig with the words "Die" and "Eric" written on its sides.
Also from the affidavit, Weld County investigators interviewed a Montrose woman who claimed Port paid her thousands of dollars to cast spells against her doctor.
"Black magic," the woman said, "like, hoping, like, that bad stuff happens to 'em or they die."
"When this first started, it was a little unsettling," Silverstein told CBS4, "particularly when there were physical threats against me, my wife, my children and my grand-children. She said (in the voicemail to DORA) that she would like to kill me. I thought, 'She really believes some of these things.' .... At one point, I thought I could reach out and contact this person. But that's what you do with a healthy person. I decided that was not the way to go."
Silverstein told CBS4 he believes Port is a victim herself, that she is vulnerable to outside influence with regards to the facts of her treatment.
"Quite honestly, my biggest emotion is sadness for her. She is a troubled soul."
Port also has two criminal cases in Crowley County. One contains felony charges for attempted kidnapping of a child, the other a misdemeanor for posting law enforcement personnel's personal info on the Internet.
During a hearing in November, a Crowley County judge found Port incompetent to stand trial and froze all proceedings in both cases.
"God bless her," Silverstein said. "Hate on my end doesn't do any good, just brings me out of my peace. I wouldn't be mad at someone who had high blood pressure. I won't be mad at someone with mental illness."