Aahana Swrup
‘War Dogs,’ the crime comedy film, charts a biographical account of the true story that unfolded when David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli went into business together as weapons suppliers to the country’s government. David joins his childhood friend Efraim in this lucrative venture after his own business stints crash and burn. The duo begins by scraping the bottom of the barrel within the arms dealing industry until an impossible opportunity soon falls in their lap in the form of the million-dollar Afghan Deal.
The film follows a close-to-reality depiction of Packouz and Diveroli’s actual adventures, with slight embellishments and creative liberty taken to smooth over the story into a cinematic rendition. For the same reason, fans must have found themselves wondering about the real-life predicament of David Packouz after the events of ‘War Dogs.’
David Packouz Ventured Into the World of Arms Dealing With his Friend
Born in Missouri in 1982 into a Jewish family, David Packouz grew up with little ideas about his life. In high school, the boy frequently dabbled in marijuana, which compelled his concerned parents to send him to an Israeli school that specialized in such kids. Nevertheless, the institute ended up providing even more opportunities for him to get high. Eventually, he attended the University of Florida before deciding to become a certified massage therapist. On the side, he also tried to get a bedsheet reselling business off the ground.
Meanwhile, Efraim Diveroli— the high school dropout who became an arms dealer— continued floating in Packouz’s orbit. Predictably, his paths inevitably crossed with Diveroli, whose lucrative career enticed the other man. Therefore, when Diveroli expressed a need for a business partner, Packouz agreed to take the spot. As a result, he became a part of Diveroli’s AEY Inc.
Thus, Packouz entered the world of arms dealing, scouring a government website for Pentagon purchase orders and bidding on different deals. Although their company hit a few potholes, earning marks of poor quality and late deliveries in their history, they maintained an overall positive record. Therefore, as 2006 rolled around, it brought a great opportunity for the young war profiteers. With the US taking control of the Afghanistan military operations, the government found itself in urgent need of Soviet-era ammunition.
Consequently, the order quickly became a priority for AEY after Diveroli learned about it. On July 28th of the same year, the AEY won the order, with their 300 million dollar bid at a 9% commission rate. From there, Packouz took responsibility for sourcing the ammunition, which proved to be a bigger order than had been imagined. Ultimately, they found their ammunition in Albania — where they sent a third partner to oversee any complications physically. As it would turn out, a big obstacle was waiting for them as they discovered the ammunition was covered by Chinese markings.
Due to an embargo and stipulations against Chinese weaponry, Packouz and Diveroli soon realized they couldn’t sell these ammunitions to the US government — receiving explicit confirmation about the same. Therefore, they decided to bend the law and repackage the ammunition to rid them of the Chinese markings. In the end, the same decision ended up spelling their doom after an Albanian whistleblower uncovered their scheme. As a result, with incriminating evidence piled against them, including emails discussing the repackaging of Chinese ammunition, AEY finally saw its demise.
David Packouz is a Musician Today
In 2008, following news of AEY’s illegal arms-dealing practices, the company underwent a federal criminal charge. David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, alongside other associates, were charged with fraud and conspiracy to misrepresent ammunition sales. As the Vice President of AEY with incriminating emails, Packouz remained vulnerable to the charges and decided not to fight them. Therefore, Packouz and his associates ended up all pleading guilty. The US government, for their part, also received some criticism for allowing such a significant arms deal to fall into the hands of such suppliers — especially due to AEY and Diveroli’s past missteps that landed them on the State Department watch list.
During his court trial, Packouz remained remorseful and earned only a seven-month house arrest as punishment. Still, the man emerged from the situation with the belief that he and his company were used as political scapegoats. In Guy Lawson’s since archived Rolling Stone report — which extensively covers Packouz and Diveroli’s journey, the former said, “We were the Army’s favorite contractors when we got the deal — poster boys for President Bush’s small-business initiative. We would have saved the government at least $50 million. We were living the American dream— until it turned into a nightmare.”
These days, Packouz is out of the arms dealing business for good. Since his passion has always been music, the man started a music company of his own, Singular Sound, founded in 2013. His company now sells musical instruments, including BeatBuddy, a drum machine. He also went on to serve as a consultant on the film, ‘War Dogs,’ helping the filmmaking team infuse the biographical story with as much realism and authenticity as possible. The same remains a stark contrast to his former partner Diveroli, who sued the film’s producers for creating the movie without his consent.
Professionally, Packouz also launched another company in 2023, War Dogs Academy, which provides consultation for government contracting. Thus, despite stepping away from the arms dealing industry, he is putting his experience in the same to profitable ventures. As for his personal life, Packouz is the father of one daughter, who prefers to keep her privacy. Nevertheless, fans can spot occasional glimpses of her on the man’s social media. Packouz also dabbles in acrobatics, undergoing recent training and performing an act at a Cirque Art Studio Miami show. His adventurous hobbies extend further to dirt bike riding and international travels. Due to his frequent social media presence, fans can remain updated on his life across multiple platforms.
Read More: War Dogs: Is Federal Business Opportunities a Real US Government Website?
