The analogy to VW would be if instead of MCAS, Boeing developed a system that produced acceptable stick forces at the expense of (say) excessive fuel consumption, and then (somehow) programmed the system to be active only during certification tests. I think we'd all agree that was wrong, and would be even if the aircraft was not actually unsafe with the system off.
I find the emails troubling, but not conclusive. There can be legitimate disagreements about what should or should not be said to a regulator. And messages between employees could be based on misunderstandings, or be exaggerated for effect (presumably no one thinks the company was run by actual monkeys). Clearly the emails need to be looked into, and presumably that's happening. But it would take more to show fraud.