Because Orthodox Jews aren't allowed to touch switches during the Sabbath, the whole congregation allegedly had to pray in the dark. Local legend has it that one Friday evening, the young rascal even snuck into Beth Israel, the storied synagogue just off Arthur Godfrey Road in Miami Beach, and flipped off the lights. After the bigger kids inevitably chased him down - and usually pummeled him - Diveroli would wait a few minutes and then do it all over again. At synagogue, the chubby youngster would run up to older neighbors, yank off their yarmulkes, and run away laughing hysterically.
Alpha dog movie true events how to#
The untold story of the aftermath of the three young Miamians' arms-dealing escapades is almost as dramatic as the fictional tale that's about to hit big screens.Įfraim Diveroli always knew how to be the center of attention. I love my country and I'm a proud American, but the government fucked me." "Life was good, until some self-righteous New York Times reporters manipulated the facts. "I may have been a rebellious kid, but I overcame my obstacles, worked hard, built my business," writes Diveroli, who declined to comment for this story because of ongoing litigation. he says the studio stole the idea for War Dogs from his memoir, which he self-published in June under the title Once a Gunrunner. Fresh out of federal prison, he's ferociously fighting Packouz's legal claims. "I'm in the poorhouse now, living off social security and whatever I can get from relatives."ĭiveroli, though, says he's the one getting a raw deal. "He burned me for all of my principal plus all the years of interest," says Merrill, who contends he lost his life savings - $1.3 million - to Diveroli.