And I don't think that they will be wasting these years either ("once bitten, twice shy"). Personally, I'm more inclined to think that it will be a lot harder for the FBI to bring the new exchange down in the future than it was today. Why so? Because the Feds won't be able to think up something really refreshing ("you can't teach the old dog new tricks"), while the exchange can just place their servers near Moscow (once Bitcoin status is made clear in Russia) and write off the FBI and their East European minions as MIA
Maybe, but personally I tend to agree with the sentiment that US agencies place "saving face" very high on their priority list. I hope that BTC-e does not offer fiat capabilities on their new site, to minimize exposure to intervention by the USA. If they operate as a crypto-only exchange, then it's possible that no funds are at risk at all. Just servers, user data, shell companies and the money it takes to set up and maintain that infrastructure.
But I wouldn't count on Moscow to be in BTC-e's corner. Or whatever brand they relaunch as. Moscow is very busy banning every Bitcoin exchange they can find, while Russian regulators recently suggested increasing restrictions on investment into cryptocurrencies. Even ignoring all that, the FSB/tax authorities see BTC-e much like the Americans do. They could never set up shop in Russia at this point. Not if they are smart, and I believe they are.
