A Belleville man is accused of possessing illicit images of children in what is possibly the first case brought under an expanded state law that bans sexually suggestive images of minors, even if the children are clothed, authorities said Thursday.

Anthony Domenick, 25 (Photo: ECPO)

Anthony Domenick, 25, was arrested after officials with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, State Police, federal Homeland Security Investigations and township police served a search warrant at his home Wednesday, according to Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino.

The search was part of an investigation into "possession and distribution of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children," Laurino said in a statement.

Domenick was charged with possessing the explicit images and also for having "child erotica," according to the prosecutor.

The revised law, which went into effect Feb. 1, criminalized images that depict children who are partially clothed but where the obvious intent of the image is to "concentrate prurient interest on the child or for sexual gratification," the prosecutor's office said.

Then-Gov. Christie signed the updated law in July 2017 that enhanced penalties for possessing and trafficking in child pornography, and expanded the legal definition of the material. At least a dozen other states have similar laws that close a gap between pornography and sexual images of juveniles.

The updated law criminalized "images that depict nearly naked, suggestively-posed, and inappropriately sexualized children," according to the statute.

Officials said the allegations against Domenick marked the first such case in Essex County. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison on all counts. It was not immediately clear if he retained an attorney.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.