LEXINGTON — A former lieutenant governor sentenced to 44 months in prison for his role in the state’s largest securities fraud case has been released early because of terminal illness.

Earle Morris Jr., 81, was released from Lee Correctional Institute in Bishopville on March 12. His sentence was originally set to expire April 1 with credit for good behavior and conduct, according to Josh Gelinas, a spokesman for the S.C. Department of Corrections.

Morris was released on a medial furlough for the terminally ill, which was granted after physicians certified the former Carolina Investors chairman was terminally ill, Gelinas said.

After the release, Morris was taken to Lexington Medical Center, and according to hospital officials, and he was discharged last Monday.

During previous court proceedings, Morris testified that he suffers from prostate cancer. And in a 2009 parole hearing, his attorney Joel Collin reported that his client had “taken a severe turn for the worse.”

However, the parole board unanimously denied Morris’ request at that time.

A jury found Morris guilty in November 2004 on 22 counts of securities fraud in connection with the collapse of Carolina Investors.

It is now estimated that about 12,000 people lost $278 million when the company closed its doors in March 2003. The company’s former headquarters building, on Garvin Street in Pickens, remains empty seven years later.

Morris appealed his conviction and remained free until the S.C. Supreme Court unanimously upheld both the conviction and sentence. In January 2008, the former lieutenant governor and comptroller general went to prison.

Six other officers with Carolina Investors or parent company HomeGold were also indicted in the case and have either pleaded guilty or were convicted in connection with the company’s demise.

Morris maintained his innocence prior to being indicted and throughout the trial. In a letter to The Progress last July, he still maintained his innocence and called his conviction a “conspiracy among several officials to get me.”

While incarcerated, Morris also told The Progress he was writing a book.

“I’m writing a book about my life and the service I gave to South Carolina, especially those who had physical or mental problems,” he wrote in a letter to general manager Sandy Foster.

Prior to his legal troubles, Morris was an avid supporter of Rocky Bottom Camp of the Blind.

While state law allows medical furloughs, corrections officials must verify Morris’ whereabouts on a daily basis, according to Galinas.

The Progress has been unable to contact Morris and his attorney since the release.