WWW- Results of a federal probe into a New York Post Page Six staffer’s alleged shakedown of a billionaire investor have been forwarded to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for final review, it was learned yesterday.

Gonzales will decide whether Page Six writer Jared Paul Stern will be prosecuted on extortion, wire fraud and other charges for soliciting $220,000 from investor Ron Burkle.

In return for the money, Stern said he would manage coverage of Burkle by Page Six chief writer Richard Johnson and other Page Six writers and have false items about Burkle killed on the gossip page.

The Stern-Burkle conversations occurred during two meetings in March and were videotaped by Burkle at his Greenwich Village loft.

Stern’s attorney, Joseph Tacopina, yesterday said, “We have encouraged a full and thorough investigation looking at all the aspects of this case and we understand that the matter is complicated because Jared is a member of the media and additional layers of approval need to be obtained.”

“But we’re confident that this will end with Jared being exonerated.”

Under federal regulations, prosecutors must gain “express” approval from the attorney general to arrest, interrogate or indict any journalist except where “immediate action is required to avoid the loss of life or the compromise of a security interest.”

Ironically, Stern – who has since been fired from the Post – could also be indicted for theft of services from the newspaper because he was being paid by them at the same time he was asking Burkle for money for managing Page Six coverage.

Bridget Kelly, spokeswoman for the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office, which forwarded the Stern probe to Gonzales, declined to comment. Burkle and his representatives also declined to comment.

Burkle, the managing partner of a conglomerate with interests in supermarkets, the media and other businesses, was personally interviewed by FBI agents in New York City several weeks ago as part of the investigation, sources said.

Meanwhile, Stern is attacking Burkle in online gossip columns and is lobbying reporters at newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, to investigate Burkle’s past and the circumstances of Burkle’s divorce three years ago. “I’ve spoken to [Ted Rohrlick] among others at the LA Times … they profiled me, remember. … I’ve also spoken to numerous people at the New York Times, for that matter,” said Stern in an e-mail to The News.

And in a telephone interview yesterday, Stern said, “He’s [Burkle] not my favorite person, my counterattack might be a little strong, but I’m still trying to get the true story out.”