David Packouz

Packouz had known Efraim Diveroli since childhood. In 2005 Diveroli brought him in to help run his arms-trading company AEY Inc., of which Diveroli was president. Packouz later said he knew nothing about weapons when he joined and was drawn in by Diveroli’s early success.⁠[1][2]

AEY’s contract with the U.S. Army Sustainment Command ran from January 26, 2006, to March 25, 2008, and comprised 29 task orders for non-standard ammunition for the Afghan National Police and Army; it was valued at more than $200 million. In 2008 AEY attempted to sell Chinese-made ammunition packaged as Albanian, ammunition that was banned in the United States.⁠[3][2]

Packouz resigned from AEY before federal agents raided the company; he was later arrested and accepted a plea deal. In January 2011 U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard in Miami sentenced him and another former AEY employee, Alexander Podrizki, to 14 months of probation; the two had helped investigators convict two key people in the case, while Diveroli was serving a four-year prison sentence. On March 24, 2011, the U.S. Army Procurement Fraud Branch issued its final debarment of AEY and its associates: Packouz, convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida of one count each of conspiracy to commit false statements, major fraud against the United States and wire fraud, was ordered with the other associates to pay about $150,000 in restitution to the Army and was debarred for 11 years, until September 28, 2022.⁠[2][4][3]

In 2011 Guy Lawson published the Rolling Stone article “The Stoner Arms Dealers” about Packouz and Diveroli, followed by the book Arms and the Dudes (2015).⁠[5][6]

The film War Dogs, directed by Todd Phillips, was released on August 19, 2016, with Miles Teller as Packouz and Jonah Hill as Diveroli; Packouz met with Teller and Hill during preparations for the film.⁠[1]

In 2013 Packouz, a guitarist and singer, struggled to find reliable drummers and set out to build a drum machine that sounded like a real drummer and could be controlled while performing. The result was the BeatBuddy, a drum machine in the form of a guitar pedal, launched through a 2013 Indiegogo campaign that raised nearly $350,000. In January 2014 he said he had received a patent for the pedal drum machine and was raising money through crowdfunding. The BeatBuddy became the flagship product of his company Singular Sound.⁠[7][6][2]

On August 20, 2026, the YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry channel Hard Knocks Business released a short video filmed in Miami, Florida, “The REAL man behind War Dogs the famous $300 MILLION government contract,” in which the host asked him on the street about his current businesses, advice for young entrepreneurs, how to win a government contract, and what he would do if he started over. Packouz introduced himself as the man the film War Dogs was based on, confirmed that he had held a $300 million contract, and gave his name at the end.⁠[8]

In the video he said he did not go to prison but was given house arrest, calling it the best thing that ever happened to him because he came up with the idea for his first invention during it, and said his businesses together would do over eight figures that year. He said he now invents products mostly for musicians, had created Instafloss, which he said flosses all your teeth in 10 seconds, and in his latest venture, War Dogs Academy, teaches people government contracting. Asked what he would do if he started from zero, he said he “would definitely do something in AI.”⁠[8]

Work extremely hard, but to sustain it over the long term you must take care of your physical and mental health (video at 00:51).⁠[8]

Some things are not worth the money, and some people are not worth being in business with (video at 00:57).⁠[8]

To win government contracts, specialize in something and bid constantly; the more bids you make, the better your chances (video at 01:05).⁠[8]

AI may not take your job, but someone using AI will (video at 01:22).⁠[8]

War Dogs Academy offers training aimed at winning a first government contract, and its website promotes the course with the film War Dogs and Packouz’s contracting history.⁠[9]

Personal website: https://www.davidpackouz.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[6]

Singular Sound: Official website: https://singularsound.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[6]

War Dogs Academy: Official website: https://www.wardogsacademy.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[9]

X: Public account: https://x.com/DavidPackouz (opens in a new window).⁠[6]

YouTube: Public channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/DavidPackouz (opens in a new window).⁠[6]